She came back to haunt us
by Michaela18
Summary: She came back to haunt us, but she failed, for she never understood what Divergents were capable of. / Tris wakes up six months after Initiation finished to a world that has been turned upside down.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: no copyright infringement of any kind is intended and I hereby acknowledge that all intellectual property belongs to the original author.

* * *

**Prologue**

**Tris POV**

The lights come on. I stand alone in the empty room with the concrete walls, shaking. I sink to my knees, wrapping my arms around my chest. It wasn't cold when I walked in, but it feels cold now. I rub my arms to get rid of the goosebumps.

I have never felt relief like this before. Every muscle in my body relaxes at once and I breathe freely again. I can't imagine going through unclear landscape in my spare time, like Tobias does. It seemed like bravery to me before, but now it seems more like masochism.

The door opens, and I stand. Max, Eric, Tobias, and a few people I don't know walk into the room on a line, standing in a small crowd in front of me. Tobias smiles at me.

"Congratulations, Tris," says Eric. "You have successfully completed your final evaluation."

I try to smile. It doesn't work. I can't shake the memory of the gun against my head. I can still feel the barrel between my eyebrows.

"Thanks," I say.

"There is one more thing before you can go and get ready for the welcoming banquet," he says. He beckons to one of the unfamiliar people behind him. A woman with blue hair hands him a small black case. He opens it and takes out a syringe and a long needle.

I tense up at the sight of it. The orange-brown liquid in the syringe reminds me of what they inject us with before simulations. And I am supposed to be finished with those.

"At least you aren't afraid of needles," he says. "This will inject you with a tracking device that will be activated only if you are reported missing. Just a precaution."

"How often do people go missing?" I ask, frowning.

"Not often." Eric smirks. "This is a new development, courtesy of the Erudite. We have been injecting every Dauntless throughout the day, and I assume other factions will comply as soon as possible."

My stomach twists. I can't let him inject me with anything, especially not anything developed by Erudite - maybe even by Jeanine. But I also can't refuse. I can't refuse or he will doubt my loyalty again.

"All right," I say, my throat tight.

Eric approaches me with the needle and syringe in hand, I pull my hair away from my neck and tilt my head to the side. I look away as Eric wipes my neck with an antiseptic wipe and eases the needle into my skin. The deep ache spreads through my neck, painful but brief. He puts the needle back in its case and sticks an adhesive bandage on the injection site.

"The banquet is in two hours," he says. "Your ranking among the other initiates, Dauntless-born included, will be announced then. Good luck!"

The small crowd files out of the room, but Tobias lingers. He pauses by the door and beckons for me to follow him, so I do.

…

I try to get Tobias alone after the rankings are announced, but the crowd of initiates and members is too thick, and the force of their congratulations pulls him away from me. I decide to sneak out of the dormitory after everyone is asleep and find him, but the fear landscape exhausted me more than I realized, so soon enough, I drift off too.


	2. Six months later

Chapter one

**Six months later...**

**Tris POV**

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

I groan at the annoying sound.

"Oh thank god, she coming around!" I hear a female voice say. She sounds familiar, like I should know her

…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

I groan again.

"I told the nurse to call the doctor," a deep male voice sounds off further away.

"Thank you," the same female as before replies.

There is some grunting instead of a reply and I know I heard this sound before... somewhere.

…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

I groan once more to show my displeasure at the persistent sound.

I want to slap left and right to shut off whichever alarm it is, but my body feels heavy and unresponsive.

"Tris, sweetheart, can you hear me? It's mom," the female says again, and I finally comprehend this is my mother talking to me. What is she doing in Dauntless?

"Maybe I should go," the male voice sounds closer.

I feel a soft hand grab mine and squeeze. I want to return the gesture, but my hand won't cooperate.

"I am here, Tris. Whenever you are ready to open those beautiful eyes for me, I am here, waiting!" Mom sounds like she is choking back tears.

…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

"It's up to you. If you want to stay, stay and we work it out. But there is no running from this. You have to face Tris eventually." Mom tells the man.

A large hand gently touches my stomach. I can feel the warmth seep into me. Who is this man?

There is a deep sigh. "I think I am going to go. I don't want the first thing Tris experiences after waking up to be hate and fear when she sees me here."

He sounds resigned and almost defeated. I want to reach out and comfort him.

"That's because you never showed her the real you. All she will remember is the facade. I will try and ease the way for you, but you still have to do your part to convince her you are not some sadistic asshole."

Mother curses? In front of other people, no less?

What is this? A sim?

Oh god, I am in another simulation! That has to be the reason why mom is here.

Think, Tris, think. How do you get out of this?

I have to open my eyes! Yes, I can't move or open my eyes, so I have to manage either one to beat this.

…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

Or maybe I have to manage to shut off this alarm?

I remember passing my fear landscape, I ranked first in initiation. Why am I in a simulation again?

"Maybe I am glutton for punishment? This is karma at its finest coming back to bite me. Tris is innocent in all of this! Why did she need to be punished?" The man sounds bitter.

"Because bad things happen to good people. It's almost a rule of life. Look at what Jeanine did. Do you believe any of her victims deserved what she doled out?" Mom replies in a soothing voice and once more I am confused. What did Jeanine do?

Erudite. Tracking serum. Oh shit. A coloured serum contains transmitters. Transmitters connect the mind to a simulation program. Erudite developed the serum. Eric and Max are working with the Erudite and they administered the serum to the whole of Dauntless. Shit, shit, shit.

…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, ...

For fuck's sake!

"Remember what Dauntless represents? Say it with me!" Mom demands of the man.

He must be Dauntless to know it, or at least be former Dauntless like mom.

The large hand on my stomach now rubs in soothing circles all over it while he joins mom in reciting the Dauntless credo.

"We believe in bravery. We believe in taking action. We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force the bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive," they say together.

"And you did exactly that! Without you so many people could have died. Yes, some still died, but their blood is not on your hands, Eric! Tris will see this once we get a chance to explain everything that happened over the last months."

Excuse me?

Eric?

Motherfucking Eric Coulter is here, talking to my mom and rubbing my stomach?

He is concerned about me, about something that happened to me?

And what does mom mean by months?

I focus really hard and I can feel myself squeeze mom's hand. Fucking finally. Oh gosh, I will have to curb my potty mouth around her now.

"Tris, sweetheart, squeeze my hand again if you can hear me!" Mom shouts with delight.

I do as I am told and can hear her start to sob.

"I am going to go get Andrew and Caleb. I think they both went to the library."

The man, Eric, tells mom and the warm hand leaves me.

I groan in protest and I can feel the hand hover.

I groan again to show my displeasure and the warm hand returns.

I sigh to show this is what I wanted.

Why do I want Eric, of all people, to touch me so intimately?

Eric starts to rub slow circles over my stomach again and I can suddenly feel hot breath close to my ear.

"I will be back to see you later, Tris. I have to go and find your dad and brother now. They will want to be here when you finally wake up. Please don't make any rash decisions when the doctors talk to you!"

Eric sounds so different, it's like he is a different man. And what is he talking about now?

I can feel the warm hand leave my stomach once more, but no matter the displeasure I voice, the hand does not return, and I can hear heavy footsteps walking away from me.

I am desperate to get the security I felt back.

I don't know why he makes me feel safe, but he does, and it is confusing me like nothing else. And with that last thought I finally manage to open my eyes.

…

I am lying in a bed, but it is not my bed in the dorm.

The lights are dimmed, and the curtains partially closed.

Curtains? Where am I?

I look around for clues but get stuck looking at my mom's face. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, yet her smile is the brightest I have ever seen.

She leans over and kisses my cheek.

"Welcome back, Tris!"

I try to speak and ask about... well, everything, but my mouth is too dry, and the words get stuck in my throat.

I carefully wet my lips and swallow a few times.

I blink for good measure and suddenly a beaker appears in front of my face.

Mom gently tilts it up to my lips and I take careful sips, making sure not to spill one single drop.

Too soon mom pulls the heavenly liquid away from me. I wet my lips again and swallow a few times before I try to speak again.

My voice sounds rough, but I can make myself heard.

"Where am I?" I ask and mom's face changes to one of concern.

"You are in the hospital, Tris. You had a bad reaction to the tracking serum Erudite developed and you have been in a coma for almost six months."

I can feel my eyes bulge, but some of the things do make sense.

Some of my memory is hazy, but I do remember the fear landscape and receiving the tracking serum from Eric before the rankings were announced.

I needed to tell Tobias about what Erudite did to the tracking serum.

Tobias!

My eyes widen even further and moan out "Tobias?" yet one look at my mom's face makes me fear the worst.

"Tris," mom carefully grabs my hand and holds on tight once I squeeze hers

"Tobias had a similar reaction to yours. In fact, all Divergents who got the serum did," Mom starts and I know it can't be good what comes next.

"Sweetheart, Tobias was not in his bed like you when the serum fully hit him."

Please, no, please tell me you are not going to tell me he got hurt.

"Tris, Tobias was apparently sitting on a rock by the Chasm and when he fell unconscious, he... fell in!"

I can hear screaming and wailing, and I want to cover my ears again to make it stop, but when mom hugs me something fierce and makes soothing noises.

I realize it's me.

I can see people run into my room and feel a slight pinch in my arm before darkness claims me once more.

…

I wake up to someone pacing in front of the window. I can see from the silhouette it is a man.

Blinking a few times, I finally make out the features of my father.

"Dad?" I whisper and still he hears me and spins around to face me.

"Beatrice!" Once more I am enveloped in a fierce hug. "Thank the lord, it is so good to see you finally open your eyes."

I look around the room over his shoulder and see mom and Caleb asleep on two loungers.

I take a deep breath and ask the question I fear the most. "Tobias is really dead?"

"I am sorry, honey!" I feel tears prickle my eyes and try to suppress them. I sniff repeatedly and my father silently grabs a tissue and wipes carefully under my eyes.

"A lot of things happened since that fateful night!" Mom's sleepy voice can be heard from the lounger.

"Tell me! I need to know," I demand, my voice is surprisingly steady.

"I will, but you have to promise me you will listen to it all and keep an open mind. Most things were not as they must have seemed and some things we will never fully understand. But the most important thing for now is that you are awake and safe! And I swear, you are safe. Jeanine is dead and nobody roaming free is seeing Divergents as a threat."

Can I listen quietly to all she has to say? "I will try," I promise, and she moves the lounger closer.

Caleb woke up and smiles at me wearily before pulling his chair closer as well.

Dad sits on my bed and holds my hands. Seems everyone is getting comfortable, so I am expecting a long story.


	3. Six months prior

Chapter two

**Final day of initiation, six months prior**

**Eric's POV**

I jump up on a table close to the screen we have in the dining hall and switch on the microphone in my hand. It squeals and I just want to cover my ears, instead I tap my fingertips a few times on top of it to garner everyone's attention.

The mass of Dauntless around me quiets down and I clear my throat before I begin.

"We aren't big on speeches here. Eloquence is for Erudite," I say and the crowd laughs.

Yep, eloquence would be wasted on them. Dauntless are like Candor, they want it straight to the point, yet they want to have some things sugar-coated as if they ate the spiked Amity bread. Give it to us straight, but make it sound like the biggest achievement ever. Easy!

"so I'm going to keep this short. It's a new year, and we have a new pack of initiates. And a slightly smaller pack of new members. We offer them our congratulations."

The room erupts into pounding fists on tabletops. The noise vibrates throughout the room and I soak up the rhythm for a moment.

"We believe in bravery. We believe in taking action. We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force the bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive. If you also believe in those things, we welcome you!"

More pounding of fists and whoops can be heard.

I am praying to whoever is listening that I will have the courage to do what's right tonight. And if my bravery ends in my death, it will hopefully guarantee the freedom of many. Should I die tonight I will pray with my last breath for my family to be safe.

"Tomorrow, in their first act as members, our top ten initiates will choose their professions, in order of how they are ranked. The rankings, I know, are what everyone is really waiting for. They are determined by a combination of three scores - the first, from the combat stage of training; the second, from the simulation stage; and the third, from the final examinations, the fear landscape. The rankings will appear on the screen behind me."

I don't have to turn around to know the ranking are now displayed behind me. Their faces say it all, but there is only one face I am interested in.

I let my eyes wander without moving my head.

There she is. She is smiling the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. Yes, you did it! God, I hope that we will both still be here tomorrow.

I can see Will give her a bear hug and she almost disappears from my view.

Candor points and hugs her across the table.

Uriah approaches from behind, grabs her and shouts with the rest of them while she reaches back to squeeze his shoulder. He leaves her to join his fellow Dauntless and she turns her wide eyes once more towards me to study the board.

A satisfied smirk appears on her face when she reaches the bottom of the list and I know she is glad Drew and Molly failed.

Will and Candor are sucking face now and I can see Four approaching her.

Fucking hell, that fear really did show the truth!

It pains me to see the only female I was ever drawn to stand up on her toes and kiss the one man who always bested me.

I should be happy for her. After all, they both come from the same faction, both ranked first. Still, I am hoping that she, at least, will choose leadership. I was counting on courting her after initiation was over, but it looks like I am once more too late. The only thing I can do for her now is to make sure both survive.

The way I treated them in the past will make her hate me forever should anything happen to Four tonight. There are so many reasons why I can not fail them.

God, please forgive me for being weak and selfish. Please give me the courage to right the wrongs of the past tonight!

With one last look at her smiling up to Four, I jump off the table and head over to Max and the other leaders.

…

"Well done!" Jack pats me on the shoulder in greeting.

"Now let's go get ready for tonight," he cheers, and I feel like vomiting. How can he talk about an imminent genocide like he is going to a party?

"You ok, Eric?" Max eyes me suspiciously and I make sure my face morphs to my usual unfriendly 'everyone can fuck off' face.

"I have a raging headache from watching all those stupid fears. Thank fuck I have eleven months before I have to see the another one. Can't fucking wait!" I sneer for good measure.

"Who is getting everyone into the trains?" Victoria asks and Max turns on her.

"You are! Did you not pay attention before?" he barks and Victoria growls back at him.

"Doesn't hurts to go over the plan again, does it?"

"I feel like I am dealing with kindergarteners," Max exclaims.

"Victoria, you make sure everyone gets on the train. Jack will be waiting for you at the Abnegation stop. Oliver is staying behind and securing the compound and Eric is heading to Erudite with me. Any other unnecessary questions?"

That shut them all up and Max nods his head towards the doors. "I will meet you at the train in an hour. Get ready," he instructs and heads off.

I head back to my apartment and the first thing I do is hit the bag I mounted to the guest room ceiling. I am desperate to clear my head from all the anger and frustration I feel.

After twenty minutes my knuckles are bloody and I am covered in sweat.

Stripping as I go, I hop into the shower, not caring that the water is still freezing. It's waking me up and clearing my mind further, and that is just what I needed.

I get dressed quickly in combat gear and put all my weapons onto the coffee table, checking them over before stowing them in various places.

I have another five minutes to spare and finally grab a piece of paper to write down everything weighing down on my soul. I put it into an envelope, seal it and lean it, easy to spot, onto my pillow.

One last deep breath and a prayer, and I am off to the tracks to meet Max.

…

He is already waiting for me and we both jump onto the approaching train.

"You sure it's just a headache, Eric? No last change of heart?" Max questions me and I just glare at him once more.

"Take it easy! I have to ask," Max counters and I look at him to evaluate how he meant his comment. If there is the slightest chance that I might have an ally in him I will have to take it.

Max doesn't give anything away and that is something that has bothered me from the beginning.

Victoria, Jack and Oliver? Their betrayal I could see coming a mile away. They are all transfers from Erudite, but Max is Dauntless, born and bred. He is the epitome of what Dauntless stands for, yet he seems willing to risk the life of our members to help Erudite and Jeanine's demented plan of taking over the city and eradicating all Divergents once and for all.

"Get ready to jump!" Max's shout brings me back to the present and I look up just in time to see us rounding the bend to the Erudite station.

We both take the jump with practiced ease and straighten our clothes before heading to the main entrance. Nobody is asking questions while we head to Jeanine's office.

…

Jeanine's new assistant seems hesitant to let us pass.

"What's your name, boy?" Max barks at him and to his credit, he cringes only slightly.

"Caleb, Sir," he tells us with a steady voice.

"Tell Jeanine that Max and Eric are here! Hurry, time is wasting," Max growls, and Caleb hurries over to the heavily secured door to Jeanine's private lab. I try to spy the code, but he punches the numbers too quickly for me to see.

Caleb reappears a minute later and holds the door open for us. "Ms. Matthews is ready for you," he announces with a flourish. I pass the wimp first, but out of the corner of my eye I can see Max pat his shoulder once in passing. Weird.

Jeanine is looking at an arrangement of different screens and controls, but turns to smile at us once we come to a standstill a few steps behind her.

"Welcome! I have just begun to activate all assets. The first group is already heading for the train," she boasts, and I groan internally.

She started it faster than anticipated, I thought we had another hour or two. I will have to move faster now. I can't let the train reach Abnegation.

Jeanine is distracted by Max commenting on her changing the timeline and I quickly pull out two guns and point one at each of their heads.

Jeanine's head swivels like my office chair, and she looks at me like she smells something rotten. Max, on the other hand, gives me a big smile and I try to not let it throw me off my game.

"You can kiss you family goodbye, Eric," Jeanine hisses. "They are as good as dead now!"

I swallow hard. "Then they will pay the ultimate price for everybody else's life and freedom."

"You think I am bluffing? One word and your mother, father and brother will be killed immediately!" Jeanine threatens again, but I just smirk at her.

"And how do you plan on getting the message out? Not so smart now, are you?" I taunt.

"You still can't shut off the program without me. I am the only one who can control it!" Jeanine glares at me, already past my attempt to intimidate her with my weapon.

"Eric, I hope you have a plan," Max tells me. He doesn't seem upset at my interference; he seems immensely proud.

"This is my plan," I state and push my gun against Jeanine's forehead, right in between her eyebrows.

"I am not afraid to die to make sure what I started will come to fruition," Jeanine shouts and I can see both Max and Jeanine look at the door behind my back. Shit! The door BEHIND my back!

"Maybe you would like a little help, Eric?" Max suggests, and waves whoever entered closer. I turn slightly and see Jeanine's assistant approaching.

"Word from Abnegation is that Jack is apprehended," he tells Max while eyeing me curiously.

"Good, are they sending someone over to Dauntless to take care of the members involved?"

"Yes, they have the list and pictures you gave them. They will be apprehended even if we manage to shut down the program in the meantime," he tells Max and I a look at both in surprise.

"Did you really think I would let anything like this happen to Dauntless, Eric?" Max looks me straight in the eye and I shrug.

"It crossed my mind, yes." I admit.

"Well, I am glad I can count on you," Max admits.

There is some commotion on the other side of Jeanine's lab door and then a rhythmic knocking. Caleb, or whatever his name is, hurries over and opens the door. I have to look twice at the person entering. It's a woman clad in Dauntless clothing, yet I remember her wearing full Abnegation grey.

"You are Tris' mom," I exclaim and she turns to me with a smile.

"Hello Eric, it's good to see which side you chose." Just like her daughter she is mesmerizing.

"Did you get it, mom?" Caleb asks and I am surprised I did not recognize the name or the familiar features.

Mrs. Prior lifts up a small case and I can see some tattoos peeking out from under her clothing. It makes so much more sense now. Tris was born Dauntless!

"Come on, the clock is ticking!" Max tries to hurry Caleb along and Mrs. Prior takes over. She opens the case and pulls out a syringe and vial.

"Now I know where Tris gets it from! You are brilliant, Mrs. Prior," I exclaim, and she just nods while filling the syringe.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Natalie," Max throws into the mix and Jeanine doesn't look so sure anymore.

Mrs. Prior walks over to Jeanine and removes the suit jacket to reveal a sleeveless top. She quickly wipes a spot on the neck and injects the serum. You can see it take hold of Jeanine immediately.

"State your name and faction," Mrs. Prior demands and Jeanine answers truthfully.

"Jeanine Elaine Matthews, Erudite."

"What is the purpose of the program you are running, Jeanine?"

"It was created to make Dauntless my brainless minions and eliminate Abnegation as well as expose every single Divergent," Jeanine answers and we can all hear the truth serum at work for Jeanine looks like she wants to fight it.

"Shit, that's new," I exclaim and look at Max. "Did you know about the last part?" Max just shakes his head and Mrs. Prior puts forth the next question.

"How is this going to expose Divergents?"

"I added something special to the concoction. Only non Divergents will react to the mind control part. Divergents will just never wake up again. It's programmed to kill them by shutting down as many organs as possible." Jeanine seems proud and I can see my rising panic displayed in all their faces.

"Ask her how to shut it down," I almost yell and Mrs Prior wastes no time. She clearly knows about Tris.

"How do I shut down the program?"

Jeanine fights it with all her might, but after a minute she is in tears due to the pain from resisting and she finally wheezes out instructions. Caleb follows them to a T and I forcefully put Jeanine's hand on the scanner to grant all commands.

Once the program is shut down, I return my gun to Jeanine's head and quietly ask Mrs. Prior for a favour.

"Mrs. Prior, if you don't mind asking Jeanine where my family is, I would appreciate it."

"Call me Natalie, Eric. I think you earned it."

She repeats my question and Jeanine actually snorts.

"They are in the lab they belong in. Fucking Divergents! They were crucial in creating this serum, but they long outlived their usefulness. I only kept them on live support to keep my leverage. Waste of valuable resources and energy!"

I am down on my knees and Max takes the gun out of my hands. I let him, because I need to see her brought to justice before I kill her myself. She doesn't deserve a quick death!

"Where is this lab located?" Natalie asks with venom in her voice.

"Lab 0567.76, floor E, corridor 6."

"Access code?" Natalie wastes no time.

"348374368 - Divergent!"

Natalie grabs a gun from behind her back and smacks Jeanine over the head. Then she pulls zip ties from her pocket and ties Jeanine's hands and feet together.

"Caleb, keep an eye on her while we take Eric to the lab."

Caleb grunts in agreement and grabs a seat.

Max and Natalie both grab one of my arms and drag me to my feet. I stumble at first, but then gain my footing.

Natalie shouts over her shoulder to Caleb. "And radio Hana to check on every suspected Divergent from the list. Have her alert medical to what Jeanine said regarding organ failure."

She sounds so unbelievably calm. Just thinking about Tris dead in her bed makes me want to howl in agony. I don't doubt Jeanine's evaluation of my family, but Tris I had hopes for. Dreams. Aspirations.

We are now heading to the elevator and down to level E.

"Eric, snap out of it. You have to us help manoeuvre these corridors," Natalie instructs, and I try to focus on locating corridor six. Of course, the lab is the last one and Natalie enters the code to open the door. It hisses when it unlocks, and I feel myself freeze mid step.

"Come on, Eric, you need closure even if we can not help them," Natalie, once more, kindly reminds me of my duty to my family.

Max enters first and comes to a complete standstill.

Natalie is right beside me and takes in a sharp breath.

I am just numb. That is the only way I can operate now.

There are three beds with deathly white bodies attached to a multitude of machines and tubes. It is clear as day that the machines do everything to keep them from officially dying. They took over my families breathing and heartbeat.

My mother is in the bed closest to me and she looks so fragile. Her cheeks are sunken in and dark circles rim her eyes.

My always so big and strong looking father is a just a shadow of his previous self. There is no muscle mass and it is clear as day that Jeanine took them as soon as I entered Dauntless. Two years of hell...

I don't want to look at the last bed, but I have to see it to believe it. There he is, my baby brother. He doesn't look like his eight years. He doesn't even look like the six-year-old I remember. He looks like a living skeleton and I can't suppress it any longer. I jump towards the door and vomit everything I consumed and then some more.

Once there is just bile left, I am still not able to stop.

Natalie gave me a fierce hug and left with the promise that all involved would pay.

Max stayed behind with me and supported me with his strong arms while people started arriving. I can see a mass of black and white Candor and I am almost certain Max was talking to Jack Kang at one point. Some blue starts to mix in with the Candor and I cringe every time I see one.

"Eric, Jack cleared every single Erudite you see in this room. They are doctors checking if there is anything that can be done."

I am just staring into space when I feel a pinch in my arm and the world goes black.

…

I wake up in a room which I assume is at the hospital. Max is sitting next to my bed, looking grim.

"Please tell me I had a nightmare," I whisper, and Max slowly turns his head to me.

"I wish I could, Eric! I will have nightmares for the rest of my life, but today was not one."

I swallow hard and try to hold back the tears.

"Let it out, Eric! Grieve for them. They deserve that honour," Max states and I am not strong enough to hold them back any longer.

I am bawling like a child while Max holds me tight.

"Are they gone?" I finally manage to ask.

"The doctors thought it most humane to not extend their life further. I wanted them to wait for you, but they said you shouldn't be burdened further."

"Were they the only ones?" I ask, but I am not sure I want to know.

"No! There were others... Doctors evaluated each and every single one. They made separate recommendations, but in the end they all had the same conclusion: To end the life support. We found Amar," Max states quite calmly, but my breath hitches.

"They faked his death?" I moan.

"Looked like he did die that day," Max growls.

I curse loudly and for a long time. Max sits next to me, holding my hand and just nods with every single phrase I utter.

It takes ages, but I finally feel calmer.

"Why are you not looking after the rest of Dauntless? They must all be traumatized waking up from being controlled like a puppet," I state and then it comes back to me.

"What happened to the Divergents? Were we in time? Did any die? Is Tris ok?" I rush out with all my questions at once.

"Hana is looking after Dauntless. I did not want to leave you alone, not after what we saw today! And yes, we did have some casualties. Victoria killed herself once she realized the game was up, some traitors resisted apprehension and were wounded. As for the Divergents, the body count is inconclusive for now. The organ failure really threw us as we did not know about that little side effect. Jeanine was tight lipped when it came to that piece of information. Four is dead..."

I suck in my breath once more. Shit!

"He was not in bed when Jeanine activated the serum, but somewhere by the Chasm. It seems when he fell unconscious he slipped off and into the water. He basically drowned. We have two older members who succumbed to the organ failure. All the others are here. None of them has regained consciousness yet and I know that they are looking into transplants for some. We have to wait and see who will make it," Max states and I am amazed by how strong he holds himself.

"Let me get a doctor so you can get discharged." Max gets up and leaves me alone with my thoughts. I have to be strong for our faction and show them that they still have two leaders they can count on. My family is dead, and somewhere deep down I have known for the last two years that I would never get to see them again. Not just Faction before blood. I knew Jeanine could not be trusted, but I wrongly assumed the leverage she needed would be enough to save them for a little while longer. How wrong I was! Now it's time to move on and expose every single one involved.

Max returns with a doctor and I am officially released.

"What is going to happen to the bodies of my family?" I ask the doctor before he can leave.

He turns to me and kindly advises "We can have them cremated and their ashes sent to you."

I nod. l think that would be best.

"Is there any way they can be cremated together and all the ashes put in one urn? I think they would like to stay together!"

"Come with me to my office and we can fill out the paperwork. I will just take a minute," and he leads us away from the ward.

…

Once out of the hospital I look over to Max.

"Where do we go from here?"

"Candor and then back to Dauntless," he states after a moment and we decide to just walk instead of waiting for the train.

It's not far, but the fresh air clears my mind and the exercise helps with some of the anger I am feeling.

…

Our time in Candor passes quickly.

Jack is evaluating every single person with truth serum. He is making good progress, but he will run out of serum sooner or later, so he wants to focus his interrogation on the scientists working on his serum before clearing more hospital, staff. We agree to hold trials over the next weeks and leave with the promise to check in with him soon.

"You know we both need to submit to the truth serum as well?" Max asks and I nod.

"I would not have it any other way. How else are the members going to believe in us?"

"I am aware. I just wanted to make sure you are too," Max says, and that's it. We don't talk on the way back to Dauntless to meet Hana.


	4. Five months prior

Chapter three

**Five months prior**

**Eric POV**

Four weeks, a whole month, and we are still holding trials. Part of it is because the truth serum ran out twice.

Jack set his priorities on getting everyone not suspected and in custody vetted.

Nobody was above suspicion. Hospital staff and serum scientists were getting priority. Next were Max and I, and we appreciated the priority treatment as we had a faction to rebuild. We needed to show them that their trust in us was worth it.

…

Erudite elected a new leader and she, as well, went under the truth serum. Emilia was a friend of my mother's and absolutely devastated by what had happened.

I talked to her briefly and she told me that a few days after I transferred, my family moved out of our apartment. My parents' superiors were told they were working on a special project for Jeanine and had to move closer to the lab to facilitate around the clock care.

Why nobody questioned this or why my brother never attended school is beyond my comprehension and will be thoroughly investigated.

…

It was hard to identify all the Divergents Jeanine experimented on, they were Erudite, transfers to Erudite and Factionless she managed to pick up. We still don't know how she got her hands on Dauntless members, but my suspicion lies with the three traitors, Jack, Victoria and Oliver.

Since Victoria took the cowards way out and killed herself, we have to wait if Jack's or Oliver's trials will bring more light into the matter.

Back to Emilia: she passed with flying colours and showed her true value already by keeping Caleb as her personal assistant. That sneaky little bastard was helping his mom and Max all this time. It's a pity though that they did not try to involve Tris more in their plans.

…

Tris... She and the other Divergents are still unresponsive. None of them needs life support, and that's really good.

Those who needed new organs got the Erudite VIP treatment and had them crafted from their own tissue by some amazing 3D printers that were designed to create human tissue.

Doctors agree that they all will wake up in their own time, when their bodies and minds had time to heal from what Jeanine put them through.

God, I hope it's going to be soon. Our faction, fuck, the whole city, needs to move on.

Candor, Abnegation and Amity got lucky. They were experiencing minor inconveniences. Candor was busier than usual, but apart from that they kept going on as they were.

…

Abnegation, well, Natalie was the driving force behind most of the things that happened to bring Jeanine down. Her own son volunteered to help make the city safer for his mom and sister, that's what true Abnegation values are, if you ask me.

Natalie was a busy bee, so to speak.

She managed to get Caleb to garner Jeanine's attention by showing him proudly off as Andrew Prior's son during the Choosing Ceremony.

Jeanine was boasting about getting a Prior back after Andrew defected, and her wanting to rub it into everyone's face was the reason Caleb got a position so close to her.

Then not only did Natalie manage to communicate with Max without anyone noticing, they finalized the whole plan when she came to visit Tris on Visiting Day. How? Really simple - by changing into Dauntless attire and ditching the grey.

Max, Natalie and Hana all told me how unsure they were about my position in Jeanine's plans. Max tried to test the water and made sure to involve me every time he tried to get Four on board.

I wish Four would have taken the position, he could be alive if his hatred for me had allowed him to work side by side. Max wanted to see if I am willing to work through things, and he told me one of my redeeming qualities was that I did what he asked me to do, and I went to talk to Four on his behalf over and over again. Reluctantly, mind you, but I followed his orders and never questioned why he wanted to bring someone so obviously against what Jeanine had planned into the fold.

The other test was apparently the changes to initiation. Max wanted to see how I handled myself and the initiates with those tough rules.

He admitted that he never thought Natalie was right about Tris transferring, or else he would not have gone through with the changes.

Sounded like he does have his soft spots and Tris is one of them. He is even holding the leadership position open for when she wakes up.

Back to initiation. He was not happy with my methods but agreed that I still chose the safest way to teach them a lesson they needed to learn.

Hanging Candor over the Chasm. Fuck yes, but I did make sure that I was within reach and I had an eye on her hands the whole time without making it too obvious.

The knife throwing incident was something else and I got a tongue lashing for that. In my defence, it was Al I wanted to teach and not Tris. Her Abnegation got in the way and Four did all he could. For the circumstances surrounding it, it was perfectly executed to have nobody loose face and avoid injuries, well, apart from that bit of cartilage in Tris's ear.

…

Tomorrow is my day off, well, mostly, and just like the previous times that I was free to do as I pleased, I will be spending it at the hospital, helping out with all the comatose Divergents.

They need regular physiotherapy and so many more things, but I am doing my fair share in supporting the staff, families and volunteers. I need to stay busy to keep my demons at bay.

I take another sip from my whiskey. I poured a double and I am not finished, yet I do feel more than a light buzz. Leaning down on my pillow, I close my eyes and rest my head...

…

**Max POV**

"Four weeks," I groan "and it feels like we got nothing done!"

"Give it time, Max! There was a big breach of trust from leadership and we need to move on the right way if we want to keep this faction alive. Maybe we should ask for some counsellors to come and talk to small groups. Offer a discrete option for one on one? I wouldn't mind that myself and I did not see half the shit you and Eric faced in Erudite." I snuggle closer to her naked form.

"I can talk to Johanna; I doubt that Erudite are welcome at the moment. Even with all medical personnel cleared, the doubt lingers. I think you are right! If we doubt the doctor that is supposed to heal us will really help and not hinder, we are going to be screwed."

She hitches her leg over my hip and kisses me softly. "Do what you feel is right for Dauntless, Max. I will support your choice, no matter what!"

God, how I love this woman. It started off with finding an outlet for all my frustration and pent up anger and I assume it was the same for her. Now I want more. I crave her every moment she is not by my side.

I grab her hips and pull her on top of me and she slowly rocks her ass against my hard on. I kiss her almost desperately and she keeps bumping my dick against her ass, circling and grinding and I can feel myself pressing deeper and deeper into her anal star.

"What do you want?" I gasp out with a moan in between kisses.

"We are out of condoms," she whines.

"Maybe a trip to the infirmary for a shot would be a good choice? And I can stock up on condoms later… I did not expect us to go through that many last night..." I moan again when she pushes downwards and the liquid leaking out of me makes me glide slightly inside her ass.

"I love you Max," she moans, and I push harder against her.

"Thank fuck, Hana! I thought I was the only one. I love you too! Oh yeah, do that again," I demand, and she circles and pushes my head slightly inside again.

"I got lube..." I grunt.

"Where? Nightstand?" she asks, and she sounds as desperate as I am.

"God yes! Are you sure?" I do not want her to do anything she doesn't want to. Clarification is a necessity.

"Found it! And something else..." she exclaims. I look at her hands and see the lube, but also a small remote operated vibrator I bought recently.

"It's brand new, I already cleaned it," I announce proudly.

Hana opens the lube and covers the vibrator generously before shoving it in. She pushes the remote into my hand and moves on to putting a ton of lube on my dick.

"Put some on my fingers, we haven't done this in a while." I hold out two fingers to her. Yes, we have had an agreement over the years. A bit like fuck buddies or whatever they call it these days. But it has been just a couple of times a year, never every single day. Multiple times a day. I might be getting old, but I can still get it up.

I carefully push my fingers inside, making sure to use plenty of the lube she put on. I am working it inside and working on loosening her muscle a bit more. I can feel the vibrator working and she is already moaning and groaning. I want to just push in, but this is nothing to be rushed.

Finally satisfied that I will not hurt her, I clean my hands and grab my dick.

Hana is on the brink of her first orgasm and I use her pliable body to move her into place. She leans back and her breasts jut out. I suck one nipple into my mouth while she slowly lowers herself and the head of my dick pushes past the barrier. We both moan, but Hana stops her movements when her orgasm hits her hard. I bite my lip to distract myself from the feeling of being in her tight hole. The pressure is killing me, and I can't wait to move. Finally, Hana moves again and with gentle rocking motions I sink deeper and deeper into her until her ass sits firmly on my pelvis.

"Yes, oh yes. You are so fucking tight! Like a vice and I am going to spill into you like a fourteen-year-old virgin getting his dick wet for the first time." The vibrations are fantastic, and she doesn't even have to move to get me to the edge. But of course, she surprises me, as always, and starts to slowly move up and down with slight rocking motions. I am squeezed beyond imagination and seeing the euphoria wash over her face when the second orgasm hits her I am done for. My dick swells as much as possible within the restricted space and I am spurting several times.

Oh god, the vibrator is still on and Hana doesn't seem to let me go any time soon. She is moaning and groaning, and I bring my hand up front and stroke her clit for dear life. Please, please cum and let me out! For the last time she moans out loud and I can feel wetness seeping out of her and onto me, I don't care. This woman is mine and no matter what, we will weather the storm together from now on.

"Marry me!" I grunt and her eyes open. She looks at me tiredly. "Ask me again after a nap and I will say yes," she says, and gets comfortable on top of me. Content, I close my eyes and let sleep take us away from the harsh reality we are facing for just a little bit.

We both wake up the same time. I can feel myself still slightly inside her and gently lift Hana up and off me.

"Come on, let's shower!" I offer my hand and she takes it.

Once we are in the enclosed shower, hot water streaming down on us, and just about done soaping each other I get down in on one knee. "Marry me, Hana?"

"Yes! Max, I will marry you. The only condition I have is that I want to wait until Uriah wakes up. I want both my babies to be there for me!" I get up and kiss the tears from her eyes. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Come on, let's check on the faction," she encourages, and with her by my side I might just be able to face them every single day without fail.

…

**Eric POV**

I wake up just as I fell asleep: on my bed, whiskey next to me and my head held up by a couple of pillows, yet something seems off.

I listen carefully, but no unusual sounds hit my ears. I look around the bedroom and nothing seems out of place, yet my gut tells me something is wrong.

I slowly sit up and move my feet onto the ground. Steadying myself with my hands on the bed to get my bearings, I take another minute to adjust.

I shouldn't feel that disoriented after some whiskey.

I slowly rise and make my way to the bathroom. The lid for the toilet is still up and I move to pull my dick out to take a leak. As if forced to do so my eyes look down and I am surprised to see how red my penis looks. I did not change the detergent, yet here my poor dick looks red and slightly chafed.

On second thought, it feels ... sore? Yeah, that might be the right way to describe the feeling.

What the fuck is wrong today?

I flush, wash my hands and walk back into the bedroom to look around more closely.

The lamp on the nightstand is further back than I usually keep it. My dresser drawers are fully closed, yet I always leave the top drawer slightly open as it tends to get stuck. I look over to the desk I have in my bedroom and see the letter I wrote on Ranking Day.

I walk closer to see what captured my attention and realize the letter is not in its usual place. My desk has carvings and I always place the letter right between the peaceful dove and the bushel of laurels. This time the letter is obstructing the view of the doves. Someone was inside my apartment! They touched, most likely read my letter. They did something to me?!

I quickly get ready to leave and head over to Max's apartment. I am about to knock when I can hear a female moan in pleasure and hastily, I turn away. Max can wait, the hospital visit can't.

I get lucky and the train is just approaching when I reach the tracks. I speed up into a slight jog to make it and manage to jump into the last carriage. The whole way to Erudite my brain can't stop going over worst case scenarios and, despite my best attempts, I am starting to freak out.

I must have been stuck in my head, going over 'what if's', for I almost miss my stop and have to scramble to make it out in time and in one piece.

Taking deep breaths, I am trying to get myself back together before something really stupid happens.

A soft voice surprises me once more.

"Eric, are you ok? You don't look so well!" Natalie comes up beside me and stretches to touch my forehead. She is not as small as Tris, so she can actually reach that high.

"I don't know! I don't think so! Shit, sorry, I am not sure what's going on with me, but I do need to consult with a doctor," I am rambling, and she recognizes it.

Taking my hand in hers she squeezes hard and I look her in the eye.

"What happened, Eric," she asks me, her gaze steady on mine, her breathing even. I try to mimic it and can feel my chest expand slowly and the tightness ease.

"I had a drink last night, in my apartment, alone, while lying on my bed. The way I fall asleep every single night, but something was off. I already felt drunker than ever before just after a few sips and when I woke up this morning things were out of place. Just small stuff like a lamp was further away and my dresser drawer closed although I leave it slightly open as it tends to get stuck. Some other things as well. I think someone was in my apartment, read some notes and did something to me..." I trail off for I do not want to expose her to all the little details.

It seems the mother in her, or maybe it is the Abnegation, is taking over and she gives me that look. The one that makes you spill your guts and then receive a hug for being a good boy.

"Tell me everything! All the little things are more than important. Why do you think someone read your papers? Wouldn't it make more sense to break into your office when you are not there?"

Good point. "It's not office work." I admit. "It's a personal letter I wrote the night we took down Jeanine. I spilled my guts in case I wouldn't make it and for some morbid reason I could not dump it. Now it resides on my desk in a very specific place and today I found it moved into a different position, yet very similar to what I use as space markers."

"There is more, isn't it," Natalie enquirers, and I nod. "Will you tell me?"

"It's a bit personal," I mumble.

"It bothers you," Natalie states, and I nod again. "You think someone drugged you, broke into your apartment and did something else to you?" I nod. "What makes you think that?" I take a deep breath and Natalie puts up here hands while adding. "I am not doubting you; I am merely curious."

I snort at that. "You are too much like Tris to be merely curious!" She just looks at me, so I continue. "A certain body part does not look like I last remember seeing it." Natalie raises her eyebrow. "Fine, my dick is red, chaffed and kind of sore and I haven't had sex." The eyebrow stays up. "Ever!" She nods with a small smile on her face, but there is still a question in her eyes. "For god's sake! No, I did not masturbate either. I did not feel like it these last weeks. Happy now," I growl out, and Natalie smirks.

"I still got it! Trust me, Caleb and Beatrice never stood a chance, neither did you, it seems." She is way too happy for my liking about being able to silently bitch me out until I spill the beans.

"Don't! You make me miss my mom..." and now she is back to mothering me and gives me a very uncommon hug.

"Come on, Eric, let's get you checked out, then we talk further. What did Max say?"

I cringe again. "I did not get to talk to him. He was busy, uh, entertaining female company?"

"Maybe one day he will have the guts to make it official," Natalie murmurs before stating out loud "Well, then let's get data to give him an update later." She drags me by the hand into the hospital and up to the floor where Tris, Uriah and all the others Divergents lie in their beds.

She spots whoever she was looking for and drag me along the hallway while shouting out "Doctor Cook, do you have a moment?"

An elderly gentleman turns and smiles at both of us. "Of course, Natalie. What can I do for you?"

"Can we go into your office," she asks and indicates with her eyes the matter at hand involves me. I don't remember seeing Dr Cook around before, but I am not here as often as Natalie.

We are heading to a different floor and into a surprisingly spacious office. "Dr Cook meet Eric Coulter. Eric, this is my uncle, Dr Anthony Cook. Tell him what you told me."

I shake hands with Anthony, as he tells me to call him, and relay what happened since last night.

"Well, let's draw some blood first and then I want a urine and hair sample. I think we should add a mouth swab and I will need the underwear you have been wearing last night and your current underwear. Let's add your while outfit from over the night, your sheets and the drink you had. Uh, maybe I should just come with you and collect everything myself to not contaminate anything."

He is in full Erudite analysis mode and I look at Natalie for an explanation.

"Anthony is a forensic scientist. He will help you get to the bottom of it."

Anthony is done with his wish list and currently digging through a shelf. He comes back to us with a tourniquet, needle and a ton of vials. Snapping on a pair of gloves he makes me sit down and proceeds to drain my blood into his multitude of vials. Adding a band aid, he hands me a specimen cup. "Pee in here first, then I am going to have a look at your penis."

He motions me over to a small bathroom and I hurry inside. I make sure to be quick, Erudite are not known for their patience when there is something to discover and I was right. He is barging in just as I screw the lid on.

"Perfect! Good, Eric, now turn around and let me have a look."

Anthony has a special contraption around his head and when he pushes a button a bright light shines exactly where he is looking. He is poking and prodding and getting a bit too close for comfort.

"I am going to take some samples. It should not hurt, but it might feel a bit uncomfortable," he tells me offhandedly, and takes some cotton swabs from his coat pocket. He swirls one inside my cheek, one around my balls, one along my dick, another one over the top and the last one..." Fuck," I shout when he shoves it inside.

"Urethra swap!" Why couldn't he warn me? "Ok, last one, Eric. Anal!" Hell no! "Turn around and bend over the sink." I stay put. "Eric, better be safe than sorry. Let's get that sample and then you are almost done. You do want to find out what happened, don't you?" Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Don't get any ideas," I growl, and finally do ask requested. I can feel it, but it's not too bad, so I keep my mouth shut.

"Great. Now, put your underwear into this bag, please and then we can go over to your place."

"Uh, doc, there haven't been any Erudite in Dauntless since Jeanine's apprehension. The welcome might be unpleasant," I tell him honestly.

"Eric, I am sixty years old. I have been doing this job for over forty years. Where do you think most crimes happen?"

"How come I don't remember ever seeing you," I quip.

"I am that good," he boasts, and leaves me alone to stow my underwear in his evidence bag.

When I come out it's only Natalie in the office. "Anthony is just dropping the first batch in his lab and grabbing his kit. Do you want me to come with you," she offers kindly.

I have to decline, even if I want her to go. "Go take care of Tris and the others. I will be fine and maybe I will even be able to talk to Max."

She nods with a small smile on her face. "Come find me when you are done!" And she leaves me to my own devices.

"Come on, Eric, the train will be here in ten minutes." Anthony says from behind me and I turn around.

He is dressed like a Dauntless doctor and has a large black backpack and holds out another one to me. "If you don't mind taking this. I don't know yet how many samples I will take, and I'd rather be prepared."

"Are you able to get on the train?" I question while we walk, and he grins.

"I wasn't born Erudite!" Well, Tris's family sure got around the factions.

We make it just in time and as predicted, Anthony has no problem getting on or off the train. We are taking the exit at the depot due to the backpacks and some equipment that could break should we throw them ahead of us at the initiate entrance.

Nobody even looks twice at us while we walk to my apartment and I am just about to open the door when I hear Max shout my name.

He is just rounding the corner and when he sees Anthony his smile falters.

"What happened?" His voice matches his face now, all sombre and shit.

"Let's talk inside," I hold the door open for both.

I point Anthony towards my bedroom and proceed to fill Max in.

"It could be nothing, but Natalie and Anthony clearly believe there is something worth investigating," I conclude.

"I have to talk to Jack, maybe someone slipped through without us noticing." That thought had crossed my mind, but then I put it down to being paranoid.

"So, I am not seeing things?" I am becoming so unsure of myself sometimes. Where is the cold and cruel leader that showed the faction nothing was getting to him? I really would love for him to come visit.

"Eric, can you show me which clothes you wore last night?" Anthony shouts from my bedroom and we both head over.

Anthony has one backpack filled to the brim, and I notice that my bed is stripped down.

"Took your toothbrush and towel also!" Anthony states matter of factly. "Left you a little present next to the toilet. I need top, middle and bottom samples for the next three days."

What? I have my suspicions but seriously hope I am wrong. I look into the bathroom and there it is. A pile of bowls and at least twenty specimen containers.

"Why do you need my shit?" I can't help but shout.

"Because if I can't find any traces otherwise there might still be something coming out of you." Well, shit!

"Just do it, Eric," Max advises. "We need to find out who came here and what they did. I am going to head over to the control room and check the tapes. If you are gone before I get done I will meet you in Erudite and we can head over to Candor together."

…

Max leaves and Anthony turns his full attention to me. Oh, oh!

"You know, I have been thinking... If someone is out for revenge and they are targeting you for some reason, what would they hope to accomplish? Clearly, they did not want to kill you. If you were out like you said, they could have easily killed you and made it look like an accident or suicide."

I nod, fair point.

"They did not want to look around and garner intel. If that was the case, they would have waited for you to leave. I think they want to punish you. Forgive me, you lost your whole family, correct?" I swallow hard, but nod yet again.

"I assume you are heterosexual?" Uh, what? I nod, dumbfounded.

"The way to hurt you the most would be to take away the chance to ever have a family of your own!" No! "I did not see visible signs of a vasectomy, but with our healing serums a lot is possible."

I am silent and he continues. "I think it's prudent to collect semen over the next months. I will store it for you properly and just test a small amount should it come to light that they did try to make you infertile." He must see the despair on my face. "Eric, even if this is the case, there is at least one viable, and especially collectible amount, right inside you! You could have a thousand children with what is there, ok?"

"I trust you!"

"Good, you need to trust some people. Did you talk to a counsellor?"

"No! There is never enough time and Dauntless is more than weary of Erudite," I counter.

"I am aware, yet you trust me to have your back, so to speak."

I grin. "Natalie trusts you! For me that is like a Medal of Honour you hold and that makes you trustworthy for me."

"Yes, Natalie is quite a character. Andrew could not have done better for himself. I have high hopes for Beatrice when she finally decides to wake up."

"You better be ready to batten down the hatches. You have seen nothing yet. She is Natalie made over and then some. She is brilliantly smart, kind and too Dauntless for her own good. She thrives on working past her fears. Once she knows she doesn't have to hide her Divergence she will be unstoppable, and I am looking forward to running Dauntless beside her."

Anthony gives me a look that reminds me so much of Natalie these days. "You seem to have quite a soft spot for my great- niece. Was there anything going on?"

He sounds like a Candor now. "No! I was the leader supervising her initiation. She was romantically attached to Four." Anthony wrinkles his brow slightly. "Tobias Eaton?"

"Oh shit! He is the one that drowned! Marcus' son... does Natalie know?"

"Nothing gets past her. She said even without Max's and my confirmation she knew something was going on when she came to visit Tris during initiation. They were just getting started and obviously kept it quiet. He was in her fear landscape though," I don't even know why I added that last part and Anthony jumps onto it like a hawk.

"What do you mean by 'he was in her fear landscape'?"

I sigh internally. Did that too myself, so I can't complain. "You know that the final test for initiates is to face all their fears one after the other?" Anthony nods. "Well, Tobias played a part in Tris's, just like her family played a part when she was faced with her fear of having to choose to kill them. Tobias was in the representation of her fear of intimacy." Anthony nods again, understanding that it doesn't necessarily mean something bad to be in someone's fear landscape.

"Ok, back to the original topic we were discussing. I need a sample of your semen to analyse and then freeze immediately to preserve your ability to father children should the need arise. Uh, here," he reaches into a side pocket of the second backpack and comes out with a wider specimen cup than the ones he left for me in the bathroom. "fill that up for me now and we can get going. I will be waiting for you by the tracks. Take your time, Eric," and he actually winks at me before he leaves, whistling a merry tune.

…

What now? My dick is sore, and I don't feel like rubbing one out. I haven't felt like it for the last four weeks. I don't even know what to think off to get me excited enough to be able to proceed.

Think, Eric, think. My eyes find the letter I wrote that fateful night. Where I told my parents I loved them and about my hope that Jeanine treated them well over the last two years. To Tris, where I expressed my regret of not being able to show her my true self and my hope that she will find true happiness with Four.

True happiness with Tris. That's what I was thinking of before... does it still hold the same potency? I grab the bottle of lubricant I have in the nightstand and that damned specimen cup. I open it and add a few tissues beside it for good measure.

Tris...Tris, blonde hair, grey-blue eyes, wide smile. How she looked after winning Capture the Flag… her laughter upon seeing Uriah spray his own mouth with a paintball.

How she stood strong against the target. Her eyes, her smile, her mouth, that long hair. Oh, what I could do with that ponytail. I could grab it and pull her mouth wherever I wanted. If I were to kiss her, my hands would tangle inside, pulling her closer as I explored her mouth with my tongue...

Oh yeah, we are getting somewhere.

I grab the lube and generously coat my chaffed dick. He is already at half-mast; I grab more lube and start stroking in a careful and gentle rhythm.

_My tongue in Tris' mouth is dancing with hers. She is moaning and so am I. Her pelvis is rotating, and she is rubbing me with every pass she takes. I am hard and push myself lightly into her to show her what she is doing to me. She leans back into my hand and slowly moves her mouth away from mine. I moan in protest and she nips my lip before she starts trailing kisses down my throat. She opens the buttons on my shirt as she goes and follows the line down to my waistband. She looks up to me with those doe eyes and opens the button before slowly pulling down the zipper._

_"Tris, baby, you don't have to..." I get out, but she ignores my weak protest and pushes my pants down to my knees. My erection is straining against the fabric of my boxers, and she nuzzles her nose against it. I can feel her hot breath through the fabric, and I am creating wet spots. "Hmm, is that for me? Let's not waste any!" Tris pulls my boxers down and tongues the tip of my dick where I am oozing precum. She smacks her lips in delight and licks around the tip and further down. She flattens her tongue and goes along the shaft, down to my balls. Nuzzling them with her nose she moves her tongue back up and takes my balls into her hand. Now she is back on top and this time she opens her mouth and sucks the head inside. The suction is strong, and my hands find their way into her hair again. She looks up at me and smiles around my dick before she starts in earnest. Up and down she bops her head and I can feel myself bumping into the back of her throat. How she takes me all the way down without gagging I don't know, but I am not going to ask questions. I am in heaven. I can feel her throat convulse around me every time she swallows, and I am getting closer and closer to my release. "Tris, baby, I am getting really close. Come back up here, sweetheart," I moan, but she let's go of my balls and grabs hold of my ass cheeks. She pulls me in and keeps swallowing while I moan and curse as I come down her throat._

I quickly grab the specimen cup and fill it with my semen.

I don't feel great about using Tris to masturbate, but at the moment I am taking whatever I can to get it done. As long as nobody knows who I was thinking of, all is well.

The euphoria from having an orgasm feels great, but I already feel bad for wanting more, being alone at home. Just me and my specimen cup. I screw the lid on tight, get cleaned up and dressed and I am on my way.

…

Anthony doesn't comment, just tags and bags the container.

I can hear the whistle of the train when Max joins us. We run together and jump into the fist carriage.

"There was definitely someone entering your apartment. The problem is this person avoided almost all cameras and we have no idea where he or she came from. We don't even have anything regarding looks, just an estimate height."

"Ok, then let's have science work it's magic," Anthony declares, and Max and I spend the way to Erudite talking about what to ask of Jack when we get to Candor.

"Max, why don't you go ahead to Jack and I will get my bounty sorted before I am going to talk to Eric about therapy again. Feel free to pop in for your own session," Anthony takes charge once more.

"Uh, I was actually going to talk to Johanna to see if she could send some counsellors to stay in Dauntless for a while. We need to get this tackled and the faction back to seeing Erudite as an ally and not enemy."

"That is a wise choice. Still, I would like to see you in my office regardless. Come on, Eric, this is our stop," and we get ready to jump.


	5. Four months prior

Chapter Four

**Four months prior**

**Natalie POV**

Two months have passed and none of the Dauntless that fell into a coma have woken up. All those who needed a transplant did incredibly well, nobody is on life support, yet they all remain unconscious.

Doctors have tried everything, even hacking into Jeanine's documents, but she never wrote down what she did to the Coulters, or any other captives, for that matter. It is a complete mystery, and with the scans showing proper brain activity, all we can do is wait for them to come around.

…

I spend every single day in the hospital, volunteering on Tris' floor.

It could be considered selfish and indulgent, but if anyone thinks this they did not speak out. I, for once, could not care less.

I am trying to spend some time with each of the Dauntless, helping staff and other volunteers.

We take over all the exercises the physiotherapists recommended to keep the muscles working as best as we could. We bath and dress them. We talk to them or read something we were told they liked.

…

Eight weeks of staring at my daughter and fearing how she will feel waking up in a world where everything has changed. Tobias is gone and that will hit her hard. They were young and in love, and for him to be ripped from her so suddenly is going to be a bitter pill to swallow. Your first love always stays with you!

She was ranked first, but she never had the chance to choose her profession, neither did Uriah. Max promised to let them choose whatever job they want. Yes, even Uriah as second ranked gets that privilege.

Max and Hana are desperately waiting for Uriah to gain consciousness. Poor child, he did not lose his love like Tris, but his life will be so different. He will have to accept Max as his stepfather, for starters, then he has to see how all his friends tried to move on, but have not fully recovered from being in a simulation designed to kill innocents.

Therapy went well for most, I have been told, but truly moving on is hard and will take longer than they all expect. The faction of the brave must learn to properly deal with some weaknesses.

…

Eric is a different matter. He took up Anthony's advice and used the Erudite counselling service. He also talks to me and Anthony regularly.

Emilia is a great asset in making him see that there was nothing else he could have done to prevent his family's death or Jeanine's plans. We all told him repeatedly that he did all he could and acted at the time that was the only suitable one. It is not his fault that Jeanine built in a failsafe for her Divergent hunt. Nobody knew about it. Max was just as blindsided as the rest of us.

As for who broke into Eric's apartment, we still don't know. What they did to him?

There was a barely traceable sedative that Anthony was able to find, but that was it.

I know of Anthony's theory regarding someone seeking revenge on Eric and believe he is right. Eric religiously gives Anthony a semen sample every single week and so far nothing unusual came up.

There is something swirling in the air though, and I am sure it will all come to the surface soon. We can only be ready for what we know, but we must have faith that we can weather whatever this storm brings.

…

Caleb, my dear son who took such risks, is doing well for himself. He had to proof to Emilia that his loyalty lies with Erudite, and he did pass with flying colours.

He was always meant to transfer, he has Abnegation traits and could have done well, yet his mind is as brilliant as Andrew's.

For us, Abnegation was a necessity to survive, for Caleb and Beatrice it was meant to be a safe haven growing up, yet both felt suppressed and out of place.

Caleb, now that he does not have to play a role for Jeanine, is able to reach his full potential and the Erudite in Emilia notices a fellow soul. She is treating him like a protégée, and both already have a close relationship. Nothing romantic, mind you, more that of a proud aunt and nephew.

Talking to Caleb has helped Eric as well. Both saw and went through things I could never imagine, and I saw horrible suffering in those labs. To be manipulated and mentally abused by Jeanine was a different calibre.

…

Eric has finally reached the point where he is trying to be himself and not the persona he created for Dauntless. He doesn't show it to everyone yet, only a select few, but I really like what I see. A courageous young man that is climbing out of the hell hole Jeanine dug for him. He is loyal to a fault and he seems to have a soft spot for my daughter. I have noticed, but what would I gain by bringing it up?

Beatrice is often on his mind and I encourage him when he speaks out.

He was the one to insist that Tobias' body belongs to Dauntless and that his ashes will be kept for Beatrice, if she wants to have them later. He refused to let Marcus have them and Max fully supported that decision.

Max later told me in confidence about Tobias' fear landscape and about the scars Tori covered on his back. This is a matter to be brought before the council and Candor at a later time. We have other matters to deal with now.

…

The trials for Jeanine and the traitorous Dauntless leaders are in full progress.

There are so many people in custody and with every lower ranked criminal we gain more insight into what Jeanine, Jack, Victoria and Oliver were up to. The amount of charges already on their list is staggering and the crimes against humanity on Jeanine's list are off the charts.

…

Today is the trial of Peter Hayes, a Dauntless member from Beatrice's initiate class.

Andrew and I are meeting Eric, Max and Hana for this one as some of Beatrice's friends have come forward and told us about some incidents during initiation and his conduct already back then. Oliver was imperative in keeping him safe and today we will find out the truth.

…

Sometime later in Candor, the trial of Peter Hayes has begun….

Jerome, Jack Kang's right-hand man, has just injected Peter with the truth serum. The room is quite full, but, like all the trials and proceedings before, this one will be broadcast over the whole of Chicago.

"State your full name for the record!" Jerome is asking the first question.

"Peter Oliver Hayes."

"State your faction of origin."

"Candor"

"What faction did you choose?"

"Dauntless"

"What faction are you loyal to?"

There is a pause and he is already fighting the serum.

"None!"

Jerome thinks for a moment and then changes the question around.

"Who are you loyal to?"

"Myself!"

"You put yourself above everyone else?" Jerome clarifies.

"Yes!"

I can spot a Candor pair in the front row, close to Peter, break out in tears. From the looks of it these are his parents.

Jerome and Jack have been informed about some things we want to know more about.

"Who recruited you to join Jeanine's cause?"

"Oliver Murray."

"Did you know him before you transferred?" Oh, good one.

"Yes."

"What is your relationship with Oliver?"

"He is my uncle!" Ok, looks that is news to Max, Hana and Eric.

Peter's mother is outright weeping now.

"You do whatever it takes to make yourself number one?" Jerome gets back on track.

"Yes."

"Did you stab your fellow initiate Edward in the eye with a butter knife?"

"Yes." Gasps all around.

"Why?"

"He was in first place and I was only second best."

"Did you try to throw a fellow initiate into the Chasm?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she was ahead of me. Nobody is better than I am. She got what she deserved."

"How did Tris survive?" Jerome asks amid gasps and looks towards where I am sitting. I am keeping my face calm, but I can see Eric's clenched fists from here.

"I had her up the railing, my hand was already around her throat. I made the mistake of taking my time and having a little fun with her body before I was going to throw her over."

I quickly grab hold of Eric's shoulder and Max does the same on his other side. Peter and Jerome keep going as if nothing happened.

"That stupid bitch got saved by our initiate trainer appearing out of nowhere. I had to let her go and save myself while he fought two of my minions. I was hoping she wouldn't be able to hold onto the railing long enough, but she prevailed again."

Jerome opens his mouth to ask the next question when something unexpected happens.

"That asshole got what he deserved in the end. I made sure to push him into the water when I found him unconscious while patrolling Dauntless the night Jeanine took over."

For the love of God, we don't have enough security to hold back all those angry Dauntless. Even Marcus seems perturbed.

Candor security rush over to Peter and Jerome and drag both of them into a room at the back.

I am dragged out of my seat by Eric.

Max has let go when he jumped to his feet himself, and now, I am the only one preventing Eric from committing a homicide in plain sight.

Andrew and Caleb are doing their best to hold Hana and Max back and we are all talking rapidly to them in order to convince them that we have to let Candor do what needs to be done.

More guards are rushing in and they are creating a human wall around the door that is keeping Peter alive.

Suddenly Max shouts out loudly. "We claim right to first blood! Dauntless justice will be handed down onto this Dauntless coward!"

Cheers, stomping feet and clapping hands can be heard and as one, Dauntless members step back, satisfied that justice will be served.

Max approaches Jack and they talk quietly for a few minutes. In the end Jack just looks resigned and nods his head to whatever Max is saying.

Stepping up to a microphone, Jack makes an announcement that will be heard over the screens throughout the city.

_"As the faction of truth, Candor strives to help our fellow factions seek and find justice. However, there is the ancient rule of Dauntless that gives the warrior faction the right to demand the use of their own penal code. Dauntless has claimed this right and we will continue our questioning of Peter Hayes in the ante chamber. His sentence for several attempts on the life of Dauntless initiates as well as the murder of his superior is going to be death. We will announce the time for his execution at a later date once we had a chance to talk with Dauntless leadership about a mutually agreeable date and their method of choice. All further interrogations scheduled for today will be postponed. Thank you!"_

…

Eric relaxes and stops putting up a fight when Jack finished speaking.

"Come on, time for another session, Eric!" I announce and Max nods at me while I drag Eric out of Candor.

Halfway to Erudite he is walking willingly beside me, and when we enter the hospital, he finally says his first words.

"Thank you, Natalie. I was going to kill him with my bare hands and now I get to legally put a bullet in his head."

"You still have to talk to someone. Want me to get Anthony or Emilia?" I offer.

"Can you ask if Meredith is free?" Eric's request for his regular counsellor shocks me a bit, but I am immensely pleased he is willing to talk the tough shit through right away.

"Of course!" I lead him into Beatrice's room and he immediately starts working on her muscles. I leave him with a heavy heart, knowing he needs the comfort only she can give him.

Whenever I have the opportunity to see him work with her, I see a man at peace. I have the hope that when she wakes up, they can help each other become whole again. Only time will tell.


	6. Three months prior

Chapter five

**Three months prior**

**Eric POV**

Peter never made it to his execution.

Two days after his confession he was found gutted in his cell. Of course, Dauntless was suspected and most of us close to the situation once more volunteered to go under truth serum. Every new member from Tris' class, those remaining from mine and Tobias' as well as all of leadership were cleared.

The snippets of surveillance video footage showed a person quite similar to who broke into my apartment break into Peter's cell and then they took their time. He was literally gutted after being put through the paces. There was not much left of him, and I went to another emergency session with Meredith to talk about my lack of feelings. I only felt cheated out of killing him and it scared me.

She was able to talk me through everything and although I felt numb and void of emotions, I still had them. She made me see that my wish to give Tris the gift of justice served was the main contributor. It always came down to Tris. All the things she helped me analyse came down to one thing - Tris' happiness and wellbeing.

…

With Peter killed in his cell, Candor tried to speed up the interrogations amid heightened security.

We now know who recruited whom and how their own little chains of command worked. The minor offenders got short prison terms and memory serum handed to them. Those who were vital, but did not commit personal injury to someone themselves, got longer sentences ranging from two to ten years and then memory serum.

The last sentencing is going to happen today. Jeanine, Jack and Oliver admitted to crimes against so many members, there will be no other option but to sentence them to death. Candor loves to dole out prison time beforehand and they might be right about their way. Don't we do them a favour if we execute them almost immediately after insisting on Dauntless law?

Max, Hana and I talked it through, and we are going with Jack's system unless they do not get the death penalty in the end.

We found out that over the years, Jack and Oliver both kept keen eyes on initiation and anything popping up that could indicate the presence of a Divergent.

Amar just got in their way and they lucked out when he turned out to be divergent. Erudite provided them with a body, compliments of Factionless, and they abducted him in the middle of the night while throwing his replacement into the Chasm.

Raiding the Factionless is something Jack, Oliver and Victoria did frequently for Jeanine. Our daily patrols gave them the perfect opportunity.

Jeanine herself admitted to the unbelievable sum of two hundred thirty-eight Divergents she experimented on in her whole career. I am still speechless as to how she got away with this and nobody questioned her.

She simply assigned someone to a new department if her usual tactic of distraction did not work, and nobody ever questioned her.

…

Our faction is getting better on a daily basis and we were able to send some of the counsellors we borrowed from Amity home. We are slowly introducing Erudite counsellors and so far, it is going well. I've set an example by openly admitting that I am seeing an Erudite counsellor regularly, and Max and Hana went to a few group counselling sessions to show the members that we all have demons we are working through.

I think our faction is getting stronger for it. We are more involved in each other's lives and try to take fellow member's state of mind more into account when we assign tasks and work on projects. There have been a lot of members requesting different jobs and we are trying to accommodate them all.

I personally have sought out some people to talk things through and explain myself a little bit better. I have made amends with Zeke and Shauna as well as Christina, Will, Marlene and Lynn. We are not best friends, but we are cordial, and I would be able to join any of them for lunch or a workout if I wanted to.

I know I am still closing myself off, and I am working on that, but as Meredith told me, it is going to take time. Baby steps are the way to move forward and I am trying to not shut people out. There are just some people that are easier to talk to and I tend to be drawn to those when something is bothering me.

I also talk to Tris about everything. I am not holding back when I am around her. I know she does not respond, but it doesn't mean she won't hear me in the end. I am baring my soul and it is freeing to do so while I am physically helping her stay in shape, and hopefully she will get better soon so she can tell me to shut up.

We are yet to have a party in the pit. I personally think they are all waiting for our Divergents to wake up. Then it's going to be one epic celebration that might last days.

As I said, the Dauntless are getting better, but we are nothing but loyal.

…

I am seeking out Max, hopefully not busy with Hana, to let him know I am taking an earlier train to stop in Erudite before heading to Candor.

He is in his office and I knock before walking in.

"I am heading out to Erudite now. Do you need anything or anyone from there?" I throw at him. Max looks at me with tired eyes.

"Are you still dropping those samples with Anthony?" I nod. "It's been eight weeks Eric," he admonishes.

"Anthony said it can take up to six months to come up as sperm free. I just want to know what they did to me. What would you do in my place?" I am honestly curious.

"The same," Max admits. "And he is keeping all your samples frozen?"

"Yes, he said the more he has with viable sperm the better. Anthony also mentioned that if we need to, they can be labelled evidence."

"Ok, go ahead. I don't need anything from Erudite. I will pop in after the sentencing with Hana so we can tell Uriah all about it."

"That's a great idea. I think I will do the same! See you later. Save me a seat if you are there first?"

"Sure!" And he focuses back on his computer.

I am doing a lot of remote work from the hospital these days. I even read reports out loud to Tris. She will have to get used to them eventually and having everything in her subconscious mind might help later.

I am taking the long way to the train tracks and mentally catalogue all maintenance works that need to be done. See, multitasking is not just something for females.

The train approaches when I reach the station and I want to pat myself on the shoulder for my impeccable timing before laughing at how cocky I sound today. Maybe I really am getting better? My mom always liked to call me cocky when I was in my teens and maybe I am finding my way back.

The train ride would have been boring had I not started to jot down my observations. I should really keep this up when Tris and the other ones are better. Why do you have to be stuck in an office all the time to work?

…

Anthony is in his office and it seems he was expecting me. I quirk an eyebrow and he smirks.

"You show up every Tuesday like clockwork, Eric!" Oh...

"Are you heading over to Candor later?"

Anthony has not attended many court sessions and prefers to watch them from the safety of his office or lab.

"I might pop in for this particular one. There are so many people that need closure and I never wanted to take away the limited seats available to the general public."

"Are you sure you are not part Abnegation?" I joke.

"I think to be fully human we all have to have some Abnegation in us. What would we be without being able to show compassion?"

"Huh, never thought about it this way!" I think he is right. "I am going to visit Tris. Come and find me if you want to come with me to Candor. I can get you a seat with us. Natalie will be there for sure."

"If I am not there in the next thirty minutes I am probably stuck. Don't wait for me, Eric. This is too important for you! You need to see your family find justice."

And with a wave and a nod I head out to Tris' room.

A nurse is just finishing changing her catheter and I am waiting in the hallway until she comes out.

"She is doing well. No signs of waking up yet, but there seems to be some twitching here and there," she tells me with a kind smile.

I head inside and kiss her on the forehead.

"How are you doing today? The nurse said you are twitching. That sounds fantastic. Do you think you can do some for me today," I ask while getting ready to work on her arms.

"Today is sentencing for Jeanine, Jack and Oliver. I am sure Jack Kang will take all their crimes into consideration and put them into prison for a long time before they will have their death sentence carried out." I move her fingers with mine, opening and closing fists before moving on to rotating her wrist.

"Hana, Max and I are in agreement that we will allow Candor penal code unless Jack decides to go without using the death penalty." Bending her arm carefully by the elbow, I make sure to involve rotations of her shoulder.

"I wish you could be there to see justice being served. For you, for my family, for Tobias and all the other ones they killed or harmed to further their agenda." I move on to the other arms and start the same routine. Fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulder.

I am chatting away about my day and what I talked to Zeke about over breakfast while I work away. My tablet beeps once to tell me it's time to head over to Candor. I quickly finish up and write a note in her chart with the date, time, my name and what I did. I kiss Tris' forehead one more time. "I have to go now, but I will be back later. Stay safe!" And with those last words I head out and over to Candor.

…

The room is packed, and it seems Jack allowed people to stand in the back today.

I find my reserved seat in the front right between Natalie and Max. I nod my head in greeting to Andrew and Caleb and squeeze Natalie's hand while sitting down.

It turns out I am just in time, for I am barely sitting and I can hear loud banging.

"All rise and quiet down. The honourable Jack Kang is about to serve justice."

Once the room is silent and all have risen, Jack enters the room and takes his special seat to the side, up front. He is facing the crowd and the bench for convicts. Once everyone takes a seat, Jeanine, Jack and Oliver are brought in.

Jack doesn't delay and starts off straight away.

"Jeanine Elaine Matthews, Oliver James Murray, Jack Owen Hull, the court of Justice has found you guilty of all charges brought forth against you. You each will be sentenced to twenty years of incarceration before your final sentence will be carried out. In all your cases your final sentence is going to be the death penalty. We will allow the victims of your crimes and their families to be present or involved in carrying out the final sentence. Do you wish to address us with any final words," Jack asks, and Jeanine, Jack and Oliver are quiet. There is, however, movement on the side and, to my utter astonishment, Marcus Eaton approaches the convicts.

He stands next to the bench holding all three of them and turns to Jack.

"Abnegation wants to take responsibility for them and requests the death penalty to be converted into memory serum," he states.

Before I can even bring the 'What the fuck?' past my lips there is a succession of gunshots and Jeanine, Jack and Oliver, as well as Marcus, fall lifelessly to the floor. All sporting a clean headshot. I jump up and turn around just in time to see Candor guards apprehend a tall, olive skinned woman.

"Fuck me!" I hear yelled right next to me and turn quickly to check if Natalie is ok.

She is staring at the woman like she has seen a ghost and then everything seems to click in place for her. It is amazing to see her face when she works out things in her mind. Tris is just like her.

"Evelyn Eaton," Andrew says just loud enough for me to hear.

"Evelyn Eaton? As in Marcus Eaton's deceased wife?" I know I am yelling, but my volume control seems out of bounds.

She is not even struggling against the guards. She is staring at Marcus and the other ones with so much hate it makes me feel goose bumps.

Jack rushes over to us. "What are we going to do now?"

Max seems to have a clearer head than I do. "We arrest her and take her into custody. Nothing can be done for those fuckers." He nods to where the bodies lie on the ground. "We need to know why she is not dead, where she has been all this time and why she decided to kill them now."

"Uh, I think it's obvious she is living among the Factionless," Natalie states from beside me and upon looking at Evelyn again I can see the slightly mismatched clothing. "And why would you think any mother shoots and kills the people she holds responsible for her child's death?" Yes, that is Natalie Prior for you.

"And why do you think she faked her death?" Jack asks Natalie for she clearly seems to have the answers so far.

"Those rumours Erudite put out about Marcus? These were probably the only truthful thing they ever wrote about Abnegation over the last years." She states with a look at Max. She did not specifically include Tobias name and leaves the choice to Max.

"We have proof that Tobias Eaton was abused by his father prior to his defection. We were going to wait until all court proceedings came to an end before we were moving in to remove Marcus from power." Max explains with a gravelly voice.

"I see. I will go and have a little chat with Mrs. Eaton, and I will let you know more. Will you please stick around? I will instruct my assistant to bring you to the conference room close to my office shortly. And with a nod to all of us Jack hurries off while some medical personnel start to remove the bodies.

…

"Justice is served!" I state loudly and the others all nod. It was not how we wanted it to be, but the end result is still the same.

"What is going to happen to her now?" Caleb asks.

"That depends on what Jack can find out. We might be able to let her go with just administering memory serum," Andrew states, but I shake my head.

"You don't agree, Eric?" Andrew turns to me.

"Let's head to the conference room and I will tell you my theory," I state, and Natalie nods before grabbing my hand and holding on for dear life. She must have gotten to the same conclusion.

Jerome finds us as we are leaving the court room and brings us to a large meeting room two doors down from Jack's office.

Everyone takes a seat and Andrew is clearly impatient, for he forgets his Abnegation teachings and outright asks me. "What do you think is going on?"

I look at Natalie and she answers first. "Eric and I think that Evelyn is the one who killed Peter in his cell. The way he was killed screamed revenge, and with her actions today it is safe to say she would torture Tobias' killer before ending him. The problem that poses for us is that we concluded whoever killed Peter is the same person who broke into Eric's apartment." She lets that sink in and everyone is quiet while thinking her words over.

Caleb is the first to speak. "So, let's put her under truth serum and ask her what she did to Eric so his agony is finally over."

"Caleb, she committed four murders in front of everyone. Huh, look at that. Four…" I trail off, but once more Natalie continues my line of thought.

"She would not have done this in broad view of everyone if she did not have a plan B or backup. I am not sure if she is ready to die now that her revenge is complete. Something feels off and I can't shake the feeling she is not done yet."

And with that Jack enters as if he was just waiting for Natalie to finish.

"We have her secluded in the prison and there are guards every few meters around her cell. Nobody is going to get to her," Jack states proudly.

"Jack, we need to get her under the serum as soon as possible. We strongly believe she is the one who killed Peter and broke into Eric's apartment. What we find peculiar is that she was not resisting arrest. There has to be something else up her sleeve and what if that includes being arrested?" Natalie is once more our spokesperson.

Jack mulls this over.

"I can have her brought up here and we can do a private interrogation in the next ten minutes."

We all look at each other. Hana is the one who speaks up this time. "That might be a wise choice!"

Jack nods and leaves.

…

"Eric, I need you to stay in the background. We do not want to agitate Evelyn before she is injected. Let one of us know any questions you have, and we will ask them for you." Natalie makes it sound like a suggestion, but it is clearly an order.

"Just find out what she did when she was in my apartment. Maybe she is playing mind games and she did nothing at all?" I know it's wishful thinking, but what else is left?

"Do you really believe that?" It is Caleb who speaks out suddenly. I shake my head. "Thought so. If she is among the Factionless, she has access to knowledge and skills from each faction. It is not just failed initiates that make up Factionless, it is the criminals and those choosing to leave either because they are unhappy or feel unappreciated. Just look at all those Dauntless that come of age, what is happening to them? Those who do not throw themselves into your Chasm turn to Factionless."

Natalie interrupts Caleb right there. "Caleb, that is not completely true. Yes, some take those routes, but most just move into the Dauntless retirement compound."

My own head swivels to Max. "We have a retirement compound?"

He shrugs. "It is something we do not advertise to those under thirty-six. And even being a leader does not make you exempt from this rule. I am head leader and that's one of my special responsibilities. I would have told you eventually. The retirement compound is just on the other side of the train maintenance yard. It has a similar set up as the main compound, just scaled down. If you are in the know you can go and visit. My own parents as well as Hana's and Natalie's live there. Once all your children have chosen a faction, you are free to move any time you want."

I am dumbfounded and it seems Caleb is the same. "Why keep it a secret," he questions, and I nod, for I wanted to ask the same.

"Would the members still act like they do if they knew they have to serve twenty years and then they can retire in comfort? We ask you to be tough, we ask you to be strong. We demand you be brave in the face of danger and adversity. Would you still give it all you've got, or would you try to get away with just enough?"

He has made a fair point and although I would not change my ways, I know enough people who might take easier approaches.

Caleb opens his mouth to ask more questions, but a knock on the door stops him in his tracks. I move towards the end of our group and try to blend in behind Andrew and Caleb. I am broader and taller, but it's the best I can do.

…

The door opens and Jack walks in, followed by ten guards surrounding Evelyn and finally Jerome, carrying the inconspicuous little box that contains the truth serum.

He nods at us and grabs a chair for Evelyn. The guards tie her arms and legs to the chair and move to stand by the wall in the back. They are alert and it makes me feel a bit better with Evelyn out of her cell.

"Due to the nature and publicity of your crime we will hold your interrogation in private," Jack explains to Evelyn, but her facial expression doesn't change. She looks at our group curiously and seems to catalogue who is who.

"Hi Natalie, how is your lovely daughter? Still in a coma I see." She gives Natalie a big fake smile and I can feel the hairs at the back of my neck stick up at her mention of Tris.

"She is improving every day, thank you. All those in hospital are making progress and the doctors think some are just about to wake up."

I heard this rumour too, but I dismissed it for Tris and Uriah don't do more than occasionally twitch.

"Pity that she chose Dauntless, she would have been so much safer in Abnegation," Evelyn throws out offhandedly.

Jerome has the syringe ready, but Jack shakes his head at him behind Evelyn's back. He wants to keep her talking for as long as possible.

"She made her choice; it was her prerogative," Natalie states with a serene smile on her lips. It is what I now call her Abnegation facade.

"Yes, but did you know that Tobias made the choice to stay in Dauntless, after he already committed to joining me in running Factionless, just because your daughter jumped into the net?" Evelyn looks at nobody else but Natalie.

"I did not, Evelyn. I only met Tobias when I came to visit Beatrice on Visiting Day. They were really drawn to each other. Would you have denied him the chance of finding his happiness with someone? They loved each other and I would like to think they would have given us plenty of grandchildren had Jeanine not interfered." Natalie is trying for a calm approach, but knowing her, she is doing everything with calculation.

"We will never find out now, will we? Tobias stayed because of Beatrice; Peter killed him because of Beatrice. Everything leads back to your precious, vulnerable daughter. I wonder who is keeping her safe at this moment?"

I can feel my eyes widen and my fists clench. I am holding back, but it is getting harder by the second. Caleb looks ready to explode and Andrew just looks sick. Once more Natalie shows her true value.

"I am sorry you feel this way. Nothing will compensate you for the loss of Tobias but be assured that Tris will mourn him all the same when she learns about his tragic fate."

"I have no doubt she will be mourning and distraught if she were to gain consciousness. I am certain she will rue the day she ever stepped foot into Dauntless."

Evelyn's sly eyes turn to me. "How are you, Eric? Are you feeling better now that you have so much blood on your hands? Your poor mother, your beloved father and your baby brother... starved, experimented on and suffering insurmountable pain and loss all while you terrorized Dauntless on their killer's behalf. Did it not feel good to lose first place to my Tobias? It must have stung that you were only second best. Second choice for everything. You came in second looking for Tris' attention before you even knew you had competition. You were never man enough for her, why should she have let you court her? Her fear of intimacy would have only been conquered by someone worthy. Did you think you had a chance with her now that Tobias is gone? The competition died and you spend every second of your free time in the hospital pampering her. Oh, sorry, I digress, every second of your free time except that panicked wanking off you do every Tuesday."

She smirks at me and I just feel like vomiting with every detail she reveals. "Any results on those samples, Eric? Do you panic every time you get stiff that it might be the last time you have an erection? Are you worried with every test Anthony runs that you get bad news?"

She laughs maniacally now, and I want to cover my ears to not hear more, yet I can't bring myself to do so. It seems everyone else is hanging on her every word just like I am. "I am going to let you in on a little secret. I made sure Tris will never give you the time of the day. No matter what, if you and Tris were to cross paths in the future, both of you will only be able to feel hate for the other. Mark my words. You will die a lonely man. Unloved. Childless. Maybe even Factionless?" And with that last sentence she clams up. You can see it in her posture and her face, this is the last we will hear from her.

Jack nods at Jerome and he goes to inject her with the truth serum. Evelyn jerks her arm slightly when he pierces the skin, but that is all.

"State your name."

Jerome starts his usual spiel, but Evelyn only bites her lip. She is doing everything she can to not utter a single word. There are beads of sweat on her forehead and her whole body starts shaking violently.

Jack and Jerome both look beyond concerned now, but before either one of them can move closer, Evelyn's eyes roll back into her head and her body slumps lifelessly onto the chair. Natalie is the one to touch her first and she is trying the pulse point immediately. Her eyes widen and she turns to us, shaking her head. Evelyn Eaton just died resisting the truth serum.

I curse up a storm. "How the fuck is that even possible? Is the serum supposed to kill you if you refuse to answer?" I know I am shouting at Jack, but come on? Really?

Jack doesn't seem to take offense. "No, Eric, the truth serum was created to make you feel increasing pain, not to kill you. This has never happened before. We will need to investigate and there must be an autopsy. I will notify Anthony immediately. I am sure he can pull some strings and get back into active duty for this case." Jack leaves the room to make that call and we all look at each other.

"Did everyone get all that Evelyn said," Max asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"I recorded everything," Hana proclaims, and we all look at her. "What? I thought I would need to go over it again later. I am sure Jack has a security cameras in here anyway, so we would have gotten a transcript later. I just did not feel like waiting." She admits.

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I have to go and check on Tris," I state, and Natalie gives me one of her special looks before admitting she feels the same.

Max and Hana were heading over to see Uriah anyway, so Andrew and Caleb volunteer to stay and wait around in case something else comes up.

Jerome nods at us as we leave.


	7. Two months prior

Chapter six

**Two months prior**

**Max POV**

Evelyn managed to create chaos. There is no other word for it. The old saying 'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned' should have been changed into 'Hell has no fury like a mother out for revenge' and credited to her.

She committed five murders, she admitted to spying on... everything. She taunted and tried to leave as much damage as possible with her words before her death. Oh, and her death? No accident at all. Turns out she took a concoction before she was taken that made the injection of the truth serum lethal. She knew she would die and talked willingly to get all she had to say out. Evelyn Eaton decided when and how she died.

…

I would admire her for her actions had she not caused so much damage.

While we were all listening to her words with rapt attention, she had people infiltrate the hospital. Once Anthony left to come to Candor and before we were able to reach Erudite, his whole lab and office went up in flames. There was no further damage to other rooms, thank god, but Eric mourned the loss of all his semen.

I am only guessing here, but I would assume he spent the next two days creating new stock. He spent over an hour hugging Tris when we found out, and every ten minutes or so he would check her over to make sure she was okay.

I do understand his concern, if they can get into Anthony's lab and office undetected, they can get into Tris' hospital room.

After this, I came to an agreement with Erudite and we were allowed to post guards all over the floor containing our men and women.

We never found out who was responsible for the destruction, the measly security system was completely cut for a twenty-minute time frame.

We went through the footage from the previous months and found that there were random times and days the footage was cut for short amounts of time. Five minutes here, ten minutes there. It is all very disturbing and we have not made any headway in this regard.

…

After learning that Evelyn called herself the leader of Factionless, we talked to the heads of every faction and got permission to infiltrate the factionless sector. We wanted to do everything by the book, so getting the other factions to sign off on this was imperative. Erudite, Candor and Abnegation's new leader Andrew Prior all agreed immediately. Amity made us promise to offer those found harmless and in dire situations, like orphans and pregnant teenagers, refuge in Amity in exchange for leaving everything else up to us. None of us had to think twice before agreeing.

So, after a week full of preparations, we went ahead and turned Factionless upside down and inside out.

What we found was extremely disturbing.

We found Evelyn's headquarters and had to fight our way in. I am proud to say we had no losses on our side and managed to capture a good amount of Evelyn's minions. We killed about half of them when they resisted and opened fire.

Evelyn had everything you could wish for. She had her own weapons lab and her own science lab. She recreated everything you would need to run the city right there.

The weapons were state of the art and the quantity mind blowing. We learned from interrogations that she pilfered through what each faction threw away or collected items people lost. The empty houses in her sector gave her plenty of raw materials and she made good use of them. Even her food pantry was well stocked, and we found out that they tricked Abnegation into believing their numbers were higher and all surplus was carefully stored.

We got a lot of information from Edward and Myra. Both remembered Tris' kindness and her help when Peter attacked Edward. Myra told us it was Tobias who told them how to find his mother and get access to all the help they needed.

They knew Evelyn had planned her revenge on Eric, but they could not shed a light on what exactly that entailed. They could, however, show us where Evelyn hid cameras inside Eric's apartment as they helped create those particular ones.

She was spying on us and Erudite is still working on cracking her computers to find out where else she put cameras. We looked in all the rooms that would have seemed important to her, but, judging from the cameras removed from Eric's apartment, she hid them in plain sight. That bitch managed to duplicate Eric's decoration and had the cameras built in. They were minuscule and only showed a signal when they were activated, so sweeping the whole city would not have worked either.

…

Eric, Hana and I wanted to make it up to Edward and Myra and, after talking to the other faction leaders, we offered them the choice to join a faction, either together or separate. We ended up with Edward returning to Dauntless to work on security development and Myra will be spending the next years in Erudite, becoming a doctor, before she will move to Dauntless permanently.

…

There was really good news. We had some of our Divergents wake up. Tris and Uriah are still out, but we had five members wake up. They had to stay in hospital for up to two weeks to get their bearings and we offered them around the clock one on one counselling.

Eric, Hana and I sat down with each of them and explained in detail what had happened leading up to Ranking Day and what has happened since.

Eric made amends with all of them and this has done him extreme good.

After Evelyn was through with him, he was seeing Meredith every single day for two weeks straight. Now he goes every other day and the plan is for him to go down to every three days over the next two weeks.

We are all taking turns to talk to him about what Evelyn said and our opinion regarding things. He is starting to believe in his innocence again and I am immensely glad about this.

Eric has come to be like a son to me and I hate to see him full of doubt and self-hate. I want to see the man he became after being freed from Jeanine's clutches again. He was doing so well until Evelyn managed to undo all the hard work.

Andrew, Natalie and Caleb are also doing their best to show Eric that even if his interest in Tris will stay unrequited, he will have a permanent spot in their family. They welcomed him with open arms and are not holding anything back.

Andrew's and Caleb's Erudite knows that the knowledge is something Eric needs to grow and strive.

Natalie knows that her Abnegation kindness and her Dauntless fierceness make her the perfect substitute mother. And she loves mothering Eric. I am sure he will never admit it, but I think from time to time he acts out a bit just to see what she will do.

I can not wait for Tris to wake up. I know this is going to be extremely hard for her. She went to sleep being in love with Tobias and happy with how her life was going and will wake up months later to her whole world turned upside down. Tobias is dead and his revengeful mother killed and plotted and schemed. The faction she knew is no more and instead she will find her friends scarred from their experience, but stronger and surer than ever before. Life goes on and sadly, life went on around Tris and those still asleep. They are not forgotten, but life can't come to a standstill by mourning what could have been.

The biggest surprise for her will be finding Eric so close to her family. His sadistic scary Dauntless leader persona is gone, and left is a strong man that keeps working on moving past his regressions and demons. She will have to find a way to accept his devotion to her, I sincerely doubt he will be able to hold back. So yes, it will be hard and disturbing, but hopefully we see only beauty in the end.

…

The phone rings and I pick it up without glancing away from my computer. "Go ahead," I grunt into the receiver.

"Max, they managed to crack Evelyn's computers. I need you, Hana and Eric in Erudite immediately," Anthony's voice can be heard, and then he hangs up on me. Asshole!

I quickly shut down my computer and walk over to Eric's office. There is a note on the door stating he is working remotely today. Good, means he is already in Erudite. I backtrack to Hana's office and walk in without knocking.

"Finish whatever you are doing. We are heading over to Erudite, they finally cracked Evelyn's system," I state, and don't wait for a reply. I grab her phone and call the control room.

"Zeke, it's Max. Erudite cracked Evelyn's system. I want all available personnel on standby to track down those cameras," I state, and he only grunts in reply.

Hana is already waiting by the door and I hurry to catch up with her.

"We have ten minutes until the next train," she reminds me, and we both start a fast-paced jog. We make it with time to spare and I am taking a moment to just hug her to me.

"God, I hope this is what we needed," I whisper in her ear, and she nods.

The train is honking as it approaches and we both run alongside the first carriage and jump in with practiced ease. I take her back into my arms and sit down on the floor with her in my lap. We spend the time to Erudite kissing and gently making out.

Too soon for my lust addled brain we reach Erudite and nobody questions our presence when we head to the lab set aside for Evelyn's equipment.

Natalie, Andrew, Emilia, Caleb and Jack are already there.

"Where is Eric," I ask, although I am sure I know.

"Anthony went to coax him out of Tris' room. I am betting he will come back empty handed. Eric had a bad night and spent his whole morning with Meredith before claiming Beatrice."

"Nightmare," I question, and she nods. Shit! I witnessed one of those and they are not pretty.

As predicted Anthony comes back alone and the scientist working on the computers starts them up. He attached a huge screen and we are all able to comfortably see what is going on.

"Ok, the system was protected like nothing else I have ever come across. That is sorted now, and we managed to bypass all protections and fail safes. We are ready to activate the remaining cameras one by one and we will need all your help to identify where they are located," he states, and taps away.

The first camera comes online, and it is a wide angle of a room. It is Abnegation sparse, but there are Dauntless features. The most prominent thing on the screen is the wall in the background. "Fear god alone!" I read it out loud and Hana and Natalie gasp.

"That's Tobias' apartment," Natalie comments, and I call Zeke.

"Zeke, head over to Four's apartment. There is a camera opposite the wall with the saying 'Fear god alone'. Take the mobile with you and use the override code to gain access. I call you again in a few minutes," I instruct, and hang up.

"Can we look at the next one while Zeke moves into position?"

The screen goes black, then it flickers, and I can't believe my eyes.

"Motherfucker. That god damn bitch!" I grab the phone and call the control room once more.

"Will speaking."

"Will, head over to my office. I will call you on my desk phone in a few minutes. Use the override code 'Hana sucks dick' to gain access."

Before I am done with my sentence I can feel two hands slap me and then one grab my balls.

"Hana, love, I needed to have an override code nobody would be able to guess." I try to get myself out of the doghouse. Andrew shakes his head and Hana lets go of my balls.

"Then maybe you should sleep in your office until you change the code to something more pleasing. You know, like 'Hana, future Mrs. Johnson' or 'Hana, love of my life'," Hana states, and there are chuckled all around me.

"Can you switch it back to the first camera?" I ask the technician and I can see Zeke standing in the room staring at something close to the camera. I call his phone and see him bring it up to his ear.

"Look a little bit to your right. More. Stop. Step closer. Another step. Ok, a little to the left this time. What do you see?"

"A blue glass sculpture."

"Pick it up," I instruct, and see Zeke change the angle of the camera. "Great, bag it and tag it. I will call you when we recognize another one in Dauntless. Will is looking for the one in my office," I finish, and hang up. Natalie and Hana both take notes on where the cameras are, how they are hidden and where they are pointing.

I call Will next. "Look behind my desk, there is a camera angled to see the screen, so it has to be higher up." I can see Will on the screen moving closer to the camera.

"There is nothing here, Max," he tells me exasperated.

"I can see you, so there has to be something. You are on the right path, step slowly closer. Good. Now take a step to your right. Is there something you can climb on? Ok, forget I asked that. Grab the stepping stool from the closet. It's the door to the left of the large filing cabinet." We are waiting for Will to do as requested.

"Is there sound?" Natalie asks suddenly and we all turn to the technician. He checks his own computer and hits a few buttons, then a series of other ones and suddenly I can hear Will move around my office.

I look at Natalie in question.

"There was no sense in hiding a camera in your office and missing out on all that's said off screen," she explains, and it makes sense.

"Good, Will, just pop the stool open right there. Get up. Uh, stand on the top step. Look up just a little bit more. Right there. What do you see?" Will is staring straight into the camera and he must be really close.

"Whoever invented these cameras deserves a prize. They must have drilled a hole into your wall and closed it up afterwards. It looks like a tiny bit of dirt on your wall, but that's actually the camera lense. Someone needs to open up the wall to get it all out. Want me to call maintenance or do you trust me to do it myself," Will offers.

"Just do it. Doesn't have to be perfect. Just take the damned thing out of my office!" I hang up on Will and see him come closer to the screen with his knife and then only static.

"Next," I demand.

…

After an hour we have located cameras in every leader's office, they even went through the trouble of getting one into Johanna's office. That was an interesting phone call for sure. There was just one more in the Amity lunchroom which doubles as their meeting hall. Well, so far. There are still several left and I am just amazed at the sheer volume.

Evelyn had the control of the whole city at her fingertips for sure. Every keystroke on a leadership computer and every cell block were monitored. In Dauntless we have found her keeping watch on the initiate's training rooms and also the rooms where we conduct fear simulations. Once more she knew enough to place the cameras just right in order to see the screen. That's how she knew about fears and other things. She might even have figured most who was divergent from watching her feed.

"Did she record everything?" Emilia asks the technician.

"It looks like footage is transmitted when she activates the cameras and when she does, the computer saves it. It is set up with short term storage only in mind. I would assume she took notes."

"I am surprised she did not keep up around the clock surveillance," I mutter.

"She did not have the people for that. And remember, we could have found the signal from the transmitter if she kept the cameras active all the time," Natalie reminds us.

"Thank god for small favours," Jack pipes up.

"Stephen, can we see the next one, please?" Emilia wants to get done and I don't blame her. This is tedious work at best.

Stephen hits another button and ...

"Oh my god!" Natalie.

"Motherfucking bitch!" My lovely fiancée.

"Cunt!" Caleb - boy is getting a potty mouth.

"What the fuck is Eric doing?" Andrew.

"I think he is singing Tris a song," Natalie replies.

"But does he have to have his hands on her when he does?" Andrew.

"Can you see her twitch?" Emilia.

"Oh my goodness, you are right! Will you look at that?" Natalie.

"So whatever he tells her causes her to twitch when he touches her?" Jack doesn't seem to get it.

"She is reacting to him and he knows how to coax her to show that she is still there. That is fantastic progress." Emilia.

"Yes, yes, but why Eric? She never twitches when I work her muscles or talk to her," Andrew complains.

"Maybe she instinctively knows how much he loves her?" I throw in and Andrew and Caleb glare at me.

"Stop it, you two, it is glaringly obvious how Eric feels about Beatrice. There is nothing that boy would not do for our daughter and it shows. Just look at them!"

She is right, it is a sight to behold, and it has to be Stephen, of all people, who reminds us why we are staring at the screen.

"Not to be disrespectful, but what about the camera," he asks.

"I'll go. Looks like it is somewhere by the window. You can see the door in the background." Natalie wants to play peacekeeper.

"Here, take the radio. I will guide you when you are there," Anthony offers, and Natalie takes it before heading out.

"Can you turn the sound up," Caleb asks, and both Hana and Emilia glare at him.

"I don't want to spy on him per se. I am just curious what he tells my sister to make her react this way."

Hana and Emilia look at each other and then Emilia gives Stephen the go ahead.

The sound comes through loud and clear.

"Is he telling her about masturbation?" Andrew seems disturbed and honestly, so am I.

"No, listen, he is telling her about his nightmare," Emilia corrects.

"Turn the sound off again, Stephen," Hana instructs, and Emilia nods.

All of us men protest.

"If Eric wanted to share his nightmares with us, he would do so. This is something very personal and we should leave him with that little bit of privacy," Hana explains.

Andrew opens his mouth to protest further, but Natalie enters the room. She moves to kiss Tris on the forehead and then hugs Eric in greeting. We can see her say something into his ear and his head jerks towards the camera. Natalie lifts the radio and raises an eyebrow while Eric moves to cover Tris from view. Yes, he has got it bad, but he would do anything to protect her, so I have never said a word to him.

Anthony speaks into his radio. "Natalie, walk straight ahead until I tell you to stop." She moves until she can't go further. "Look straight ahead, slightly up. What do you see," Anthony requests.

"Oh my god, she put it outside the window. It has to be attached to the outside wall. I can see a small disturbance in the brick now that I am staring at it. How do we get this off?" Natalie seems unsure. I can see Eric get up in the background. He walks over to Natalie and peers straight at the camera. He tells her something and starts taking his belt off.

"Eric is going to step onto the windowsill and he will try to pull it off," she explains and we watch with rapt attention as they open the window. Tris' room is on the fifth floor, if Eric falls, he is as good as dead.

"Smart boy," Emilia praises when she sees Eric secure one wrist with his belt to the steel handle of the window and Natalie puts both her hands onto it for added security. Eric stops closer and we all watch mesmerized as his fingers come more and more into focus until the screen goes to static.

We don't have to wait long for Natalie to radio that Eric is back inside and the window closed. Anthony instructs Natalie to wait for a moment in case more cameras are on the floor. It was a good call. The next screen shows Uriah. Natalie and Eric perform the same stunt and are on standby.

"All right, guys, this is the last camera," Stephen declares, and we all groan in delight. It was tedious and felt like a waste of time even if I know it was not.

"Uh, where is that," I ask, for I have never seen this room before.

"It looks like some part of the hospital," Anthony concludes.

"Look at the fridges and the workbench. It could be a lab," Emilia adds. There is nothing sticking out that would give the location or purpose away.

"Anthony, I need you to head over to the hospital and make an announcement that every staff member has to report back to his or her working station," Emilia requests. Anthony leaves and I use the radio he handed over to tell Natalie and Eric where we got stuck on the last camera and what we plan to do.

Natalie radios back five minutes later that Anthony just made the announcement.

We keep staring at the screen and finally we can see a man with short dark hair enter. His back is to us and we have no way of identifying him.

Emilia calls Anthony to announce all females are free to resume whatever they were doing before the call out, the men are to remain.

"Uh, how do we find out who this is," Hana asks.

"Anthony, ask all male employees to please turn around from where they are currently standing. Just a 180-degree rotation."

We can see it play out on the screen. The man in our screen looks like he is in his mid-thirties.

"Ask all males to take five steps forward if they have the space to do so."

Our man moves closer.

"He has nothing on his lab coat that could identify him."

"Anthony, ask all male employees who are still able to follow instructions to hold up a number of fingers which they decide."

The man holds up seven fingers.

"Ask all men who held up seven fingers to touch a body part of their choice," Emilia instructs again.

Our man looks confused and then touches his dick.

"Anthony, can you please ask all men who touched their genitalia to come and see you at the security desk. If there is more than one, we need a man in his mid-thirties, short dark hair and brown eyes. Please call me when you know more!"

"That was the weirdest version of a kids game I ever saw," Hana blurts out and I can't suppress the snort.

Caleb, Andrew and Jack are smiling.

"Anybody wants to guess what the man does in the hospital," Caleb asks. "I bet twenty points he is the poor guy who has to check Eric's semen samples every week."

I snort. "I am sure Anthony took care of that. No, he looked like he might work with diseases. He grabbed his dick and it takes a brave man to do that in front of his leader."

"He did not know it was him we were watching. I say he does regular lab work. Maybe urine samples," Hana joins in.

"Fine, I think he does something specialized for his workstation was clean and clear. I say he is working on vaccines. All those refrigerators have to be used for something," Andrew bets.

Emilia's phone rings and she answers while looking at us with a smirk. She listens to what Anthony has to say and then hangs up.

"Sean Cooper's job is analysing blood samples. Anthony is heading to his lab while interrogating him if there was something strange happening these past months."

"Uh, who gets a betting pool if nobody got it right," Caleb asks, clearly clueless.

"Let's just all keep our points and focus on finding out why Evelyn thought Sean Cooper was worth watching," Andrew tries to get us back into the game.

"Let's not forget the possibility that it was his work she was keeping an eye on," Emilia states.

"Why would she need to monitor blood samples?" I wonder out loud.

Anthony and Sean appear on the screen and we guide them to the hidden camera. Looks like they've put it into Sean's framed diploma.


	8. One month prior

Chapter seven

**One month prior**

**Natalie POV**

Turns out Sean is responsible for analysing every blood sample taken at the hospital.

Of course, we were worried about what that could mean. Our Divergents are permanent guests and, depending on the type of injury, other members need to visit the hospital also.

Anthony and Sean went over his work routine and Anthony was very pleased to find out Sean has multiple failsafe he invented to prevent anyone from messing with the results.

Every sample was checked on two different devices simultaneously. The results were recorded in a bound notebook which he stored in a safe in his lab and on the computer.

Both men spent a lot of time comparing the notebook results with those in the computer system and every single one matched. Anthony even took the notebook in for analysis and no tempering has been determined.

So, why did Evelyn keep an eye on the lab? We still don't know!

…

Edward and Myra went through their fears, passed the fear landscape and were officially declared Dauntless members.

Myra is now spending five days in Erudite, training to become a doctor, and two days in Dauntless where she mostly volunteers in the infirmary instead of relaxing and enjoying her days off.

Edward jumped straight into working on making Dauntless safer. In coordination with Zeke they came up with a small microchip that will green light the members when they enter from outside. To make it less likely for others to use, they proposed embedding it into soft tissue of the members choice. Myra suggested getting it into the same shape as the birth control implant and have it embedded in the arm of each member. The vote put in front of the faction showed they were all in favour.

Mass production has begun and by now we have half of the Dauntless members chipped. Visitors can use a guest card to enter without raising the alarm and so far, it seems to work well.

We had more Divergents wake up. Max, Hana and Eric did the same as with the previous ones and sat them down for a chat. We now have twenty-two Divergents awake and only ten remain unconscious. Unfortunately, Uriah and Beatrice are amongst them.

Poor Eric and Hana, after each new member that woke up, they spent the following twenty-four hours in the hospital, staring at Uriah and Tris. I might or might not have joined them.

Uh, moving on.

Eric and Andrew had a little chat regarding Beatrice and in the end nothing between those two changed. I did remind Andrew a few times that our daughter is Dauntless now and that Abnegation rules do not count for her any longer. He countered that she is still his little girl and that it was his duty to check any potential suitors out. I left him with this illusion and just encouraged Caleb to pick up the slack.

Beatrice, I mean Tris, is still responding very well to Eric telling her about his day, the good and the bad, and Caleb came through as well when he followed Eric's example.

It seems she likes being treated as normal as possible without ever waking to tell us. I overheard Caleb suggest to Eric to include more graphic details of his, and I quote liberally, specimen creation. He thought they should work on making Tris blush next, but Eric shot that down real fast, thank god.

So now they just delight in making a competition out of who can make her twitch more. I think every day they are acting more like brothers and Caleb can relate to Eric in ways he never could with his sister.

…

What else? Factionless has undergone a restructuring after all those captured in Dauntless' raid on Evelyn's compound were given memory serum and are housed in a new section within Abnegation. It did not seem fair to us that those who did wrong were rewarded by getting to live among us as if nothing happened while the rest of the factionless remained dependent on us to take care of them.

It was agreed that we will allow all children to choose when they come of age and we are currently working with Erudite to create a way to school these children separately instead of adding them to the regular school we have for our own children. We do not want to reintroduce all back into the factions, but we want to make sure there will be no second Evelyn. She wanted to make the whole city one and give everyone equal say and rights. It sounds great in theory, yet how it really would have turned out seems more like a nightmare to me.

…

I am about to leave the house for the morning when my tablet chimes. I started carrying one with me since just before Jeanine's apprehension.

It's a message from Myra to come see her as soon as possible at the hospital and to not let anyone else know where I was heading. Andrew left already, so he won't know if I don't make it to my meeting with Emilia.

I text Emilia quickly that something came up and I will let her know later when I can make it. Her reply is instant, and she tells me not to worry.

I am breaking all of Abnegation teachings already, so one more doesn't hurt; I head to the train station instead of waiting for the bus or opting to walk.

I never lost track of the train schedule and one is due soon. It feels like I am a teenager again when I run along and jump inside the train. God, I missed this! I know my face is flushed and my hair in disarray, yet I keep smiling instead of making myself more presentable.

Too soon I see Erudite coming into view and I get ready to jump. I almost fall down, but to my utter delight, I don't. I feel like walking on clouds when I enter the hospital. A quick message to Myra to tell her I arrived, and I follow her instructions until I see her waiting for me outside a door in an unfamiliar corridor.

I am involuntarily slowing down my steps. I can tell something is not right. Myra's face is sombre, and she seems to not want to make eye contact. I glance at the door she is standing in front of and see it is Sean's lab.

"I think I found out what Evelyn did," Myra tells me, and gestures for me to enter.

Anthony and Sean are sitting inside, and once more their faces show that the news are not good.

"Just spit it out," I say. I don't mean to sound so rude, but this is just too much suspense for me.

Myra starts off. "You know I am doing my training on Tris' floor?"

I nod.

"Well, I was tasked to do the fortnightly blood checks on all of the remaining Divergents today."

I gesture for her to go on, but Sean takes over.

"We have a protocol in place that the nurse taking the blood is the one who brings all the samples straight to me within minutes of the last sample being collected."

Ok, so far I can follow, yet there is no problem that I can see.

"Tris' blood came up completely different than all the previous samples, so I called Myra in to ask her about it. She followed protocol and did everything by the book. That's why we called Anthony in. He collected another blood sample from Tris and brought it to me. These results came back the same as the one from Myra's collection."

I take a deep breath. "Is she dying?" I whisper, and I can feel tears starting to pool in my eyes.

"No," Anthony shouts. "I am so sorry, Nat. I did not think you would come to that conclusion. No, Tris is not dying, but there is something else going on with her. Do you remember Evelyn's rambling just before she died?"

I nod, currently too relieved for words. I get to keep my daughter.

"Well, Hana sent me a copy after Evelyn committed suicide. I want you to listen to it again and then I am going to explain my theory to you. Okay?"

I nod once more, and Anthony gets his tablet out and hits a few buttons. Myra leads me to a chair and takes my hand, squeezing it in silent support.

The voices on the recording sound loud in the stillness of the lab.

"_Due to the nature and publicity of your crime we will hold your interrogation in private." _Jack can be heard.

"_Hi Natalie, how is your lovely daughter? Still in a coma I see."_ That's Evelyn.

"_She is improving every day, thank you. All those in hospital are making progress and the doctors think some are just about to wake up."_

"_Pity that she chose Dauntless. She would have been so much safer in Abnegation."_

"_She made her choice; it was her prerogative."_

"_Yes, but did you know that Tobias made the choice to stay in Dauntless after he already committed to joining me in running Factionless just because your daughter jumped into the net?"_

"_I did not, Evelyn. I only met Tobias when I came to visit Beatrice on Visiting Day. They were really drawn to each other. Would you have denied him the chance of finding his happiness with someone? They loved each other and I would like to think they would have given us plenty of grandchildren had Jeanine not interfered."_

"_We will never find out now, will we? Tobias stayed because of Beatrice; Peter killed him because of Beatrice. Everything leads back to your precious, vulnerable daughter. I wonder who is keeping her safe at this moment?"_

"_I am sorry you feel this way. Nothing will compensate you for the loss of Tobias, but be assured that Tris will mourn him all the same when she learns about his tragic fate."_

"_I have no doubt she will be mourning and distraught if she were to gain consciousness. I am certain she will rue the day she ever stepped foot into Dauntless."_

I tense up hearing Evelyn's repeated threat.

"_How are you, Eric? Are you feeling better now that you have so much blood on your hands? Your poor mother, your beloved father and your baby brother. Starved, experimented on and suffering insurmountable pain and loss all while you terrorized Dauntless on their killer's behalf. Did it not feel good to lose first place to my Tobias? It must have stung that you were only second best. Second choice for everything. You came in second looking for Tris' attention before you even knew you had competition. You were never man enough for her, why should she have let you court her? Her fear of intimacy would have only been conquered by someone worthy. Did you think you had a chance with her now that Tobias is gone? The competition died and you spend every second of your free time in the hospital pampering her. Oh, sorry, I digress, every second of your free time except that panicked wanking off you do every Tuesday. Any results on those samples, Eric? Do you panic every time you get stiff that it might be the last time you have an erection? Are you worried with every test Anthony runs that you get bad news?"_

Evelyn laughs like a maniac.

"_I am going to let you in on a little secret. I made sure Tris will never give you the time of the day. No matter what, if you and Tris were to cross paths in the future, both of you will only be able to feel hate for the other. Mark my words. You will die a lonely man. Unloved. Childless. Maybe even Factionless?"_

The recording ends here, and I am shaking.

"Just spit it out," I tell Anthony.

"Natalie, Tris is pregnant!" I am stunned, but then not really. At least she is not dying. Evelyn's words make so much more sense now.

"She used Eric's sperm, didn't she?" How did she do it? Did she steal all the samples instead of destroying them?

"We believe so. We wanted to talk to you first before we ran more tests," Anthony states.

"She will be distraught... rue the day she ever stepped foot into Dauntless... I made sure Tris will never give you the time of the day..." I murmur almost to myself.

"Yes, that's what we focused on as well. She clearly knew what was going to happen at that point. Our main concern is how did she do it."

"Those few minutes here and there that were missing from the security footage. If someone dressed like medical staff they could move around freely, but then do what?"

"Defrost some semen and administer it into Tris' vagina. I highly doubt they were able to harvest eggs, create an embryo and implant it. So, we have to go with the cruder version." Antony doesn't mince words and I usually appreciate it, but this is my daughter and her most private parts we are talking about.

"Myra, I need you to track down a female gynaecologist for me, you can assist if needed. I want her to meet me in Tris' room, but keep it quiet. Tell her we need equipment to do an ultrasound and check for foetal heartbeat."

Myra nods and leaves the room after giving me another hug.

"How can we determine whether the baby is Eric's?"

"There is something called NIPP," Sean starts. "The baby's DNA circulates throughout the mother's blood. We can isolate it and compare it to Eric's."

"Do it before he finds out! Do you need another blood sample or do still have one that can be used?"

"Uh, a fresh one would be best."

I turn to Anthony. "Will you get it and also bring the toothbrush Eric left in the bathroom? You know what? Just look through the stuff he has in there for something suitable. There is plenty. I am going to track down Meredith and have her join me in Tris' room. Will I find you here or will you both come find me?"

Sean and Anthony look at each other. "We'll find you when we have the results."

"Sounds more like a formality," I grouse.

"All we know at this moment is that Tris has pregnancy hormones in her blood. Those were not there for the previous blood samples, yet the amount makes it impossible to say this is a recent pregnancy. I would guess she is somewhere between two and three months. The only conclusion we can draw from this is that someone switched her blood out and the only one who could have done so is the person who took it and brought it over. We went over the files and the nurse in question is nowhere to be found."

"Surprise, surprise! Send a picture to city wide security forces tonight. Don't go alerting Eric now. He'll rush over here before we are ready!" I repeat my request and highlight the importance of actually heading my words. "I am going to see Meredith. See you later!"

…

God, what a nightmare! Evelyn sure knows how to enact revenge. The pure, virgin Abnegation girl is pregnant at sixteen. Was she hoping we would accuse Eric of rape? Or was Evelyn just counting on Tris reacting badly to everything?

I am so deep in thought I actually walk into Meredith's door. I hear a "Come in!" from inside the office. Huh? Well, it could have sounded like knocking to her.

I open the door and peek my head in.

"Hey, do you have a minute," I ask, and she motions for me to take a seat.

"What can I do for you, Natalie?"

I quickly relay all that Myra, Sean and Anthony found out and wait for her to suggest what to do now.

"We both know Eric is going to take this hard. What we must do is making sure that he gets the proper information and nothing else. We keep him isolated from the drama and just present the facts to him. Maybe perform an ultrasound and let him hear the heartbeat. Most dads can not really grasp they are going to be a parent until the child is born. We have to get Eric involved as soon as possible."

"So we call him in when we have the DNA results back," I question.

"The sooner the better. Eric is like a bloodhound when it comes to Tris' wellbeing. Come on, let's go see our girl. I am sure I will have my work cut out with her once she wakes up. Should I put in a transfer request to Dauntless?"

I smirk. "Might as well. And I think once Tris is over the initial shock that she is having a child without having a husband she will be just fine. This is the little girl that kept telling me she wanted to have more than the Abnegation standard of two children. Irish twins are fine, she said, but I want a whole house full. Just having one brother or sister wasn't enough in her opinion."

"Natalie, you know Eric is going to jump her with a proposal if he thinks that's what she wants," Meredith states, and I cringe.

"Okay, I think I will have to choose my words wisely."

"So do I," Meredith pipes up. "Come on!"

And we head over to Tris' room.

…

Myra is already waiting for us with a pretty female doctor. She looks young, but if she is qualified, I am not going to say a word.

Myra introduces us. "Natalie, Meredith, this is Dr Cotter. Doctor Cotter, this is Tris's mum, Natalie Prior, and their therapist, Meredith Belton."

We shake hands and Dr Cotter tells us to call her Lisa.

"Did Myra explain anything to you," I ask curiously.

"Yes, she was quite frank in her approach. I hope that was okay? Tris is one of the Divergents that fell victim to Jeanine, then Tris and a fellow Dauntless member fell victim to a sociopathic mother hell bent on revenge. She managed to grab some of his semen and impregnated Tris successfully."

"Yes, that's the gist. Can you please do a quick check if Tris is still a virgin? I just want to know how much she was violated," I state, and Lisa nods.

"That is no problem. Let's close the door and pull the curtain in front of the window before we begin."

Myra does as requested while Meredith repositions Tris on the bed. She pulls a large bag closer and produces a pair of stirrups which she attaches to a mobile bar on the bed. I help her move Tris gently into position. Lisa slaps on a pair of gloves and lubes up a finger before she gets to work. I gently stroke Tris' forehead in comfort, hers or mine I don't know.

Lisa sits back up and grins at me. "She is still a virgin, so I assume they must have administered the semen with a short syringe. Okay, let's get to the fun part." She goes over to the corner and pulls an ultrasound machine up to the bed.

I go and lift Tris' feet out of the stirrups and cover her up while also bearing her stomach up to her breasts. You can actually see a tiny bump and my heart breaks for my daughter.

"Let's get a look at that baby in this bump." Lisa is all smiles as she adds the gel and then the wand moves all over. Lisa keeps staring at the screen, stopping to tap away on the keyboard and then moving on. She keeps pointing the cursor and dragging lines across the screen. Measurements, I remember those. She hits a few more buttons and the machine whirls to life, spitting out a series of images. She grabs them and hands them over with a flourish.

"There are your grandchildren! Congratulations, grandma!" She smiles and waits for my reaction.

"Two?" Oh shit!

"Yes, two. Looks like fraternal twins. Tris' file says she was on steroids and some other medication that would explain why we find more than one embryo. She looks to be twelve weeks along."

I nod. Twins. "Uh, I will need you to be on standby for later when we tell the father. Meredith wants him to see and hear as much as possible to make it more real immediately. Is that okay with you?"

Lisa smiles again. "Of course, I will just park my little machine in the corner over there and cover it up with a sheet. I will fill out the order to administer pregnancy vitamins and extra iron later as to not raise the alarm too early. Myra has my contact details; just send me a message and I will be here in less than five minutes. It was lovely meeting you and I hope to meet Tris properly soon."

And with that she leaves the room while Myra grabs a sheet and hides the machine out of sight.

…

I stare at the ultrasound picture. My grandbabies... I am only thirty-six!

"Oh, will you look at that! Two babies!" Meredith gushes while looking over my shoulder. "I can't wait to see Eric drag those two all over the city. Can't you imagine it? One in a carrier backpack and the other one strapped to his chest!"

I have to laugh at the image she created. "He won't be able to take the train like that," I snort. God, I really needed that laugh. "Thanks, Meredith!"

She just winks at me. We are just chatting quietly, after getting Tris cleaned and settled, to pass the time until Anthony and Sean are ready.

Myra left to see what they were doing. "There is always something new to learn," she quipped while heading out the door.

Suddenly the door flies open and Max storms in, but he stops dead in his tracks when he sees Tris in bed.

"What the fuck is going on? I thought she was waking up."

"Uh, what made you think that," I question carefully.

"You skipped your appointment with Emilia and I saw you take the train. What else could make you rush here but Tris waking up?" He growls at me.

"Shit!" I cringe. "You saw me take the train? Eric did not, did he?"

"No, I was on my way to escort you to your meeting as I was scheduled to advise about staff security for the Factionless school project. What is going on?" Max is obviously aware something is up.

"Oh for god's sake! Here!" Meredith grabs the scan printouts from my hand and thrusts them at Max's chest.

He looks at them, first not knowing what he is seeing and then his eyes bulge. "You are pregnant? At your age? Shouldn't you NOT take the train, especially in your condition?"

I am stunned speechless. "I am not old!" I roar.

"Shhh, we are in a hospital, guys. Indoor voices, please," Meredith tries to intervene. I am grumbling under my breath and Meredith turns to Max. "Have another look at the scan and tell me what you got wrong!"

Max stares at the pictures. "Twins?"

"Yes, what else?" How Meredith can stay calm all the time is beyond me.

"It says twelve weeks and... holy shit! That's not your name or date of birth!" Max looks ready to faint. "Tris is pregnant?"

Meredith nods. I am still mad at Max. "And what does that tell you?" Meredith asks for me once again.

Max just stares at the scans and then at Tris and back at the scans.

"Evelyn stole Eric's spunk and got Tris pregnant with it? Is she for real? Tobias is better off dead with parents like that!"

"Max!" Meredith and I both exclaim.

He puts up his hands. "I did not mean it like that, but can you imagine her pulling shit like this while he was alive? Meredith, you are the counsellor here. He would have been down the Chasm before you even knew he needed help. And if he stayed for Tris she would never have been save. I wouldn't have put it past that bitch to pull some shit like this just to break them up and get Tobias to join her in Factionless."

He has a point and Meredith seems to follow a similar line of thought.

Max rubs his face. "So, what now?"

"We just found out because Myra collected the routine blood samples. Remember the camera in Sean's lab? He never received Tris' blood until today and the nurse who must have switched it is nowhere to be found. Once we had a chance to talk to Eric, and later to all faction leaders, we will put a city-wide arrest warrant out with her face on it. For now, we will wait here until Sean and Anthony have matched the babies' DNA to Eric's. Oh, maybe I should tell them that they are looking at twins?" I wonder out loud about the last part.

"Too late! We already know! Eric and Tris are going to be parents to two little boys!" Anthony announces from behind me and I whirl around.

"Hey Max," he greets with a smile. Sean looks a bit more sombre behind him.

"So it's confirmed?" I double check.

"Yes, Eric is definitely responsible for creating these little guys," Anthony states again.

"Another phrase we should avoid when talking to Eric later," Meredith orders.

"How are we going to do that without having him committed for the next seventy-two hours?" Max asks Meredith.

"I was thinking to have Lisa, Dr Cotter, set up and ready to go and we tell Eric outside the door we know what Evelyn did to Tris. We bring him in, let him hear the heartbeats straight away and show him the babies on the screen. He is smart, he will figure it out. He will try to stay calm enough for Tris' sake which gives us a chance to talk him out of whatever misconceptions he concocts in his mind," Meredith states.

"Sounds good enough for me," I declare, and there are nods all around.

Max's tablet beeps and he looks at it quickly.

"Uh, you might want to set your plan in motion then. Eric just texted me that he was able to leave his meeting with Jack early and that he is popping in to see Tris before heading back to Dauntless."

Great, it's not even eleven in the morning and I am tired enough to sleep for two days straight.

"Meredith, you wait outside the room to catch Eric! Anthony, message Lisa Cotter to come here immediately. Sean, please go and get copies of those DNA results for me. I want them printed out on paper so Eric can take them home. Max, take those scans and ask one of the nurses to let you make a bunch of high-quality copies. Don't give them to her, do it yourself. I need at least five sets! I need you to wait until Eric is inside the room before you can come back in with the scans and the paperwork."

And they all scramble to follow my orders. Gosh, my mom was right! I would have made a great Dauntless leader.

…

I start to move the ultrasound machine back in place and Myra pops in to help me. We get Tris resettled in bed with her stomach once more exposed and I just pull the thin blanket over her to keep her warm.

"Wait in here, Myra. I will send Lisa in as soon as she arrives. Hopefully before Eric!"

I leave through the door and see Lisa heading our way followed by Eric just rounding the corner. Lisa slips past me and Meredith and I turn to face Eric. He stops when he sees us outside Tris' room.

"What's wrong with Tris? Why did a doctor just go inside yet you are out here? Is she waking up?" I hate to destroy the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"No, Eric, Tris is not ready to wake up yet," I state, and look him in the eye.

"Eric, I need you to work on your breathing for me. Remember the technique I showed you?" Meredith speaks up, and we both watch Eric close his eyes and the movements of his chest even out.

"Good, now remember to breathe in and out. There is no reason for you to work yourself up and have another panic attack. Whenever you are ready, open your eyes and we will talk."

Meredith and I watch and wait. Eric follows her instructions and takes his time, after a few minutes he opens his eyes.

"Go on," he instructs.

I look at Meredith to let her take the lead.

"Eric, Tris did not wake up yet, but we made great progress. We found out what Evelyn was up to regarding Tris and we want to show you that she is going to be alright. Are you ready," Meredith asks, and goes to grab his hand. I take the other and squeeze to show him that it is going to be okay. He squeezes right back, and I smile at him before knocking on the door.

I count to five and open the door, dragging Eric and Meredith through quickly with Meredith kicking the door shut.

Lisa and Myra positioned themselves so they are blocking Eric's direct view of Tris' middle, which puts even more highlight on the heartbeats that can be heard around the room. The twins must be in sync for there is only one whooshing staccato beat to be heard.

Eric stops in his tracks at seeing the weird set up and cocks his head to the side as if he was to listen more closely.

His hand suddenly grips mine hard and his face turns white. "No!"

Lisa must have had a remote for the screen as it suddenly turns on and one of the babies is clearly displayed. Eric sucks in air and Meredith turns back to him with concern.

"Close your eyes. Breathe in... and out. Breathe in... and out. Breathe in... and out." She takes his hand and puts it on her chest. "Follow my breathing, Eric. Can you feel how steady it is? Try to copy it. Yes, that's it. Good job. In... and out!"

Tears are running down Eric's face and my heart breaks for him. I squeeze his hand one more time before I let go and give him a fierce hug.

"We believe in bravery," I whisper.

"We believe in taking action," I continue while wiping Eric's tears with my sleeve.

"We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force be bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive."

I can feel the air move as someone opens the door, but I do not look, I continue and hear another voice join in.

"We believe that cowardice is to blame for the world's injustices. We believe that peace is hard-won, that sometimes it is necessary to fight for peace."

Max, Anthony and Myra are all joining me now.

"We believe that justice is more important than peace." I wipe Eric's tears again.

"Join us, Eric," I command, and then continue.

"We believe in freedom from fear, in denying fear the power to influence our decisions."

I can barely hear Eric, but he is mumbling along.

"We believe in acknowledging fear and the extent to which it rules us."

He is getting louder. Good!

"We believe in facing that fear no matter the cost to our comfort, our happiness, or even our sanity."

There he is. I give him my brightest smile.

"We believe in shouting for those who can only whisper, in defending those who cannot defend themselves."

I take a deep breath. Max steps closer and puts his hand on Eric's shoulder.

"We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another. We believe, not just in bold words but in bold deeds to match them."

There is utter silence in the room a moment.

"Tris is pregnant?" Eric asks in his normal tone of voice.

"Yes," I answer.

"That's what Evelyn concocted as her revenge," he clarifies.

"Yes, she wanted to hurt both you and Tris," Max states.

"How is having a baby going to hurt me?" Eric sounds a bit baffled. "It is mine, isn't it?"

"Oh yes," Sean states, and slaps a stack of papers in Eric's free hand. He just glances at them to see what they are and then continues.

"So what? Does she really think Tris is going to hate this baby just because I am the father? How batshit crazy was she? If Tobias was alive it might have worked, but now? What did she think she would gain with that?" He looks at all of us. "Tris is anything but selfish! She would never even consider using a child to hurt me!"

"You and I know this, Eric, but Evelyn did not! My assumption is that she was counting on Tris having the Abnegation values so deeply ingrained that she would feel ashamed waking up pregnant or, god forbid, having an infant. Trust me," I quickly add upon seeing his face "I know my daughter well. She loves children and always wanted to have a house full of them. These two are just the beginning where she will be concerned. Your one and only fight will be to make her see who you truly are."

"Two," Eric exclaims.

"Uh, sorry! Congratulations, you are having twins!" I smile at him.

"Seriously?" Eric wants confirmation.

"Come and have a look!" Lisa invites Eric over and proceeds to show him both babies on the screen and to answer his many questions.

"That went better than expected! I thought there would be more self-loathing," Meredith whispers to me. "I will need to learn the Dauntless Manifesto. That was brilliant, Natalie. It ticked all the right boxes!"

Eric and Lisa are done talking and she cleans Tris up before switching the machine off.

Eric kisses Tris' forehead and whispers something in her ear before he gently places his hand on her barely there belly and rubs it in lazy circles. To everyone's utter astonishment Tris sighs. She actually sighs.

"God is good!" I proclaim and hear a chorus of "Amen".


	9. Present Day, Part I

**The story is going to slow down now that we have reached the present. Tris has a lot of information she has to sort through and the chapter got so long (almost 10,000 word count) that I had to split it up.**

* * *

**Chapter eight**

**Present Day**

**Tris POV**

Once mom is finished with her story, I take a deep breath to centre myself. I need the reminder that I am here. I am here, am I not?

"Proof to me that this is not some elaborate sim," I demand, and they all look at me like I lost my marbles. Mom is the first to answer.

"Ask any of us questions that nobody else should know the answer to."

I ponder this. "Mom, what happened Visiting Day?"

"I came alone to see you in Dauntless. You father had been selfish!" She grins at him. "I commented on how handsome Tobias was, and he came to tell me how great you were doing. When I looked at him too closely, he got scared and left as fast as he could. Uh, we met Christina, Will and their families. Will's Erudite sister was rather rude, and I helped you not deck her. We moved on into a barely used service tunnel, and I asked you about your progress and advised you to stay in the middle field for stage two. I believe I gave away I was Dauntless when I told you to have a piece of cake for me. But damn, chocolate was always my favourite and I do miss it!"

I turn to my brother. "What happened between us the evening of our aptitude tests?"

He mulls this over. "Uh, are you referring to me asking you about your results without wanting to give my own away and making cryptic remarks about thinking about ourselves as well?" He more questions than answers. "Uh, can't you pick something easier to remember?"

"I saw you once after Choosing Day!"

"Yes, that was shortly after Visiting Day. You came over after mom asked you to tell me to investigate the serums. You had a little run in with security and were brought to Jeanine's office and eventually sent back to Dauntless in a car."

"That will suffice," I state, and smile at them wearily.

"What? You have no questions for me," my father wants to know, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Did you come to see me," I query, and he actually blushes.

"No," he admits "your mother was right. I was selfish."

Wow! Okay, Tris, don't lose focus. The plethora of information mom provided runs nonstop through my mind, but one sticks out the most.

I look down my body and see changes through the thin blanket. My breasts are larger, but my eyes move past them, only cataloguing, until I reach the area below my navel. There is a bump. Not too big, but it is there and obvious it is not due to overindulgence.

"Evelyn Eaton did all this crazy shit you told me about?" I look at mom.

"Yes, honey, she did."

"She killed Peter, Marcus, Jeanine, Jack and Oliver?"

"Yes."

"She stole Eric's sperm and got me pregnant?" I am sounding calmer than I feel, and the persistent beeping from the machine I am still hooked up to is increasing. Mom looks at the monitor worriedly and then just stands up and switches it off.

"Yes," she simply states.

I try to move my limbs a bit and they respond, but I do feel weak.

I work on moving my fingers while I keep the conversation going.

"Max and Eric are the good guys?"

"Yes."

"Jeanine experimented on and then killed Eric's family?"

"Yes."

"Eric is divergent?"

"Yes."

"Do you..." I swallow "Do you know which factions?" It is a rather random question, but something inside me needs to know.

"Yes, he is just like you. Erudite, Dauntless and Abnegation."

"You know?"

"Tori told me about your test results, and Eric told me his himself."

I am working on lifting my arms a few inches off the bed and setting them down. I can feel the strain already, but the burn feels good. It makes me feel alive.

"Did you find the nurse who swapped my blood samples?" I am curious, mom never said anything further.

"We only found her body. She walked out of the city and decided to step in front of one of Amity's goods trains. We had some people come forward that knew her and told us her son was made factionless. We can only assume that she did it in exchange for Evelyn helping her son."

"This is all quite overwhelming. So much information. I missed so many things. Where do we go from here?" I am at a loss.

"Well, we will work on getting you ready to leave the hospital. The other ones all took about a week on average. You need physiotherapy for sure. Counselling. You haven't eaten in six months… Oh, and Lisa will have to talk to you about everything pregnancy related," Mom seems to know everything.

"And what happens when I return to Dauntless? How am I supposed to face everyone?" I sound like a little girl, but I think I am allowed to - just this once.

"You will choose a job, get an apartment, start working and prepare for the little one's arrivals. Your friends will be just as supportive as they have been over the last six months. They have been here for visits every single week. Evelyn has made a public spectacle out of her revenge so yes; your pregnancy is common knowledge by now. Dauntless is supportive, there is no other word for it. Believe it or not, they started giving Eric presents for the babies." Mom laughs. "He thinks it's their way of saying they accept and welcome the soon to be Dauntless dependents with open arms." Mom stops when she sees the tears pool in my eyes.

"I am usually not that close to tears," I whine, and mom and dad laugh. I glare at them.

"Tris, it's called pregnancy hormones and I am afraid you will feel too emotional plenty of times until you give birth," Mom states, and Dad nods.

"Your mom could barely go out in public when she was pregnant. She had a temper and her verbal filter completely disappeared. You could say that this was the main reason why you and Caleb were born so close to each other and why there were no more siblings afterwards." Mom slaps dad on the back of his head and I laugh.

"You will be fine. You only have twenty-four weeks to go, even less if you are lucky," Mom states, and I swallow hard at the reminder of how much more my life is going to change.

"Do you think Eric would be willing to come and talk to me?" I ask my family in general. They all established a proper relationship with Eric over the past six months and I think it's time I caught up.

"He is holed up in Meredith's office," Mom tells me with a soft smile.

"That's his therapist, right?" I double check.

"Yes."

"Can one of you go get him for me? I think I need to talk to him more than anyone else," I state, and Caleb and Dad both leave immediately.

"Was it something I said," I quip, and mom laughs.

"It is so good to hear your voice. I am going to leave you alone with Eric, if that's okay. You have a lot to talk about…" she pauses as if unsure if she should say more.

"Go on," I encourage.

"He loves you! Somehow, over the last months, he moved from simple attraction and the wish to court you to seeing you as the centre of his universe. He would do anything for you, even step back and let you raise those babies alone, if that's what you want. Just watch and listen to him. He is a good man that has been dealt some shitty cards and he managed to turn it all around for himself and others. Have faith in what could be, Tris. And for the love of all that's holy, be selfish! You deserve your happily ever after with a good man." And with that mom gets up, kisses me on the forehead and leaves the room.

…

I don't have much time to mull over her words, but instinctively I know she is right.

A knock on the door brings me back to the present. I turn my head and see Eric poke his head in. He looks different than I remember him.

"Come in," I croak, my throat suddenly dry.

He looks at me wearily but comes in and closes the door.

"Come closer, I don't bite," I quip, and I can see his shoulders visibly relax.

Eric moves to sit in mom's chair by the bed. His eyes keep alternating between my face and my bump.

"It's okay, I know you have been touching me... there." Eric's eyes find mine and I can see a slight blush stain his cheeks.

"Sorry," he mumbles.

Wow, this is like an alternative reality. "I remember you did it while I was waking up, and I know I liked it," I admit, my own face starts to feel hot all of a sudden.

"Yes, but now you are awake. How are you, Tris," Eric asks, and he seems to relax a bit more now that he knows I am not out for his blood or anything of that kind.

"There is a lot to comprehend and to come to terms with, but I am surprisingly okay. My body doesn't want to follow my commands just yet. I mean, I can move my limbs, but it feels like I have no muscles left in my body." I let him know honestly.

"We had twenty-five, well twenty-six people wake up so far and all previous twenty-five were out of here by the power of their own feet within a week. You will get there too," Eric explains.

"I should hope so. There is so much to do, plan and to catch up to. What jobs are still available?" Better get started with the easier topics.

"Uh, I thought your mom explained everything." Eric looks at me with slight concern.

"She probably did, but I was more focused on the main events like Jeanine's apprehension and Evelyn Eaton's ...uh... berserk revenge plan?" I make the last one sound like a question for I truly have no words for Evelyn Eaton's actions.

Eric snorts. "That phrase is quite suitable. I would say we are lucky that those two never teamed up. Can you imagine?"

I shiver and shake my head. "I don't even want to think about that possibility. They are dead and done for. So, jobs?"

"We leaders, that's Hana, Max and I, agreed to offer you and Uriah as the first and second ranked the choice to pick any job you want. To be honest, we were hoping for both of you to join leadership."

I am stunned. "Really? But I won't be able to finish my training before the babies come, and I doubt I will be able to do any of the required physical training."

Eric reaches his hand out as if to touch me and then withdraws it quickly. "Tris, you can choose whichever job you WANT! If it is leadership, we can do all the paperwork first and whenever you are ready to continue, we can start on the other aspects. There is no timeframe as to how long you are allowed to take to finish. If you want to become a leader then we will make it happen. We start off with the easy stuff and work on building your muscles back up. As I said before, paperwork is easy, and you can even lie in bed and work from home using your tablet. Then, after the babies are here, it is up to you when you want to start again. If you want to wait until the kids are three and start play-school, then you do that. We will make it happen!"

God, he seems so normal. There is really no trace of the moody and sadistic acting leader I met. I can feel tears pool in my eyes again.

"Tris, please don't cry! I did not mean to make you cry. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to leave?" Eric looks panicked at the sight of my tears and I can feel laughter bubble up even as the first tears fall.

"Just hug me please," I request, and Eric does so immediately and without asking questions. I try to lift my arms around him but manage only one hand up to his hip. I tuck my fingers into his waistband to keep them up and use my head to snuggle into him. He smells good, and I really like the feeling of being engulfed by his larger frame. I feel tiny yet protected. Then another thought comes into my mind, and I blurt it out before thinking it through first. "Oh god, how am I supposed to house two babies if they come after you. Look at your size! There is no way they are going to fit! I am half your size," I exclaim, and I can feel Eric shake. "Are you laughing," I ask, feeling offended.

Eric finally raises his head to look at me. There are tears in his eyes, and his smile is big and infectious. "You have no idea how much I missed hearing that smart mouth of yours." I raise an eyebrow. "You will be fine, Tris. Twins are usually smaller in size to make up for being multiples. Lisa said that you will most likely have them early, so they will be small," Eric explains patiently, but once more those hormones get the better of me.

"But I don't want them to have my size! Can you imagine how they will be teased growing up in Dauntless being male and tiny? Oh no, what if they get my frame as well? They will look like girls!" I know I sound insane, but there is no stopping what is coming out of my mouth. So I wail loudly. "I am my mother made over! Dad said she could not leave the house because her mouth ran away with her all the time. At least I am not permanently cursing! Fucking hell, make it stop! I hate pregnancy hormones!" And I am in tears again. Eric does the only logical thing and hugs me again while making soothing noises.

"They are going to be just fine, Tris! I was only seven pounds and two ounces and look at me now!"

"But there are two! That's fourteen pounds and four ounces together if I am lucky," I state.

"Nah, they might not even reach fourteen pounds together. Lisa told me of some babies she helped birth that came to a whopping ten pounds." Eric lets me know for whatever reason.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear that! Great! Now I have the image in my mind of a poor woman pushing a baby of that size out," I grumble.

"Yeah, thanks, now I am thinking about that too," Eric tells me.

"You started it," I stick out my tongue.

"No, that was definitely your fault. You started it off by claiming our boys would be huge..." he trails off when he sees my face.

"I am sorry, it just became more real," I apologize, and Eric nods. "Who would have thought we'd have children together?"

"Tris, if you don't want me to be around, I will try my best to stay out of your way. I would appreciate being allowed to see them, but I promise you, I will let you live your life as if I never existed," Eric swears, and I can feel tears run down my face.

My mom was absolutely spot on. He would give up his own children to make me happy. I start to sob. He has no family left and yet he is willing to give his future up on a whim. For me?!

"Don't," I manage out between sobs. "These are OUR children, whether we helped create them or not. I fully expect you to be there for every nappy change and every night feed!"

"Of course, I will be helping you when you need me to," Eric exclaims.

My sobs are not ceasing, and I try again. "Eric, I want us to be proper parents to these boys. I mean, I will need some time to get used to how things are now, but there is no way you are going to be just partly involved. Do you want to be a full-time parent, or do you prefer to just pop in for birthdays and be done with them?" I am curious how he will answer now that I have volleyed the ball in his court.

"Tris, I will be whatever you want me to be..." he starts to repeat himself until he hears me growl.

"My mom told me I am allowed to be selfish before she left. I am telling you the same. Be selfish! Tell me what YOU really want!" I am raising my voice again.

"I want you! Got damn it, Tris, I want you and I want our kids. I want us to be a proper family. I do not want to be an absent father and I want to be there for every dirty nappy, every scraped knee and every other achievement," Eric shouts, and I give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Then we will work to make that happen!" I take a deep breath because I am going to have faith and jump into this chaos with my eyes wide open and a smile on my face. "We are Dauntless, we are brave enough to go and get what we want! We are Erudite, we can be smart enough to work through it all! We are Abnegation, we can become each other's obsession and serve the ones we love together."

This time Eric kisses me, but HE doesn't aim for my cheek, he goes straight for my lips and I let him for I am brave and willing to work on making him my 'obsession'.

We keep the kiss simple, but I make sure he knows I am participating.

Too soon Eric moves slightly back and puts his forehead against mine while closing his eyes.

"Tell me I am not dreaming, Tris," he begs me, and I wiggle my fingers that are still tucked into his waistband. The most peculiar thing happens. Eric shies away and a strangled sound leaves his lips. I stare at him astonished.

"Are you ticklish," I ask.

"No!" The answer comes too quickly and his ears tinge pink.

"Oh my gosh, big, strong Eric Coulter is ticklish!" I squeal in delight. "Oh, now I can't wait until I am able to fight you!"

"Tris," Eric whines but then laughs with me. "This is nice," he adds, and I nod my head.

"Yeah, think we will be able to keep this up for the next... uh seventeen years or so?" I don't want to spoil the mood, so I am keeping it light and teasing.

"I will do whatever I can to make it happen! I want you to be happy, Tris. I hope you know that?" Eric is back to being insecure and serious.

"Eric, we will have to work on your self-esteem! What happened to you? Don't answer that, stupid question! Eric, I am not holding anything against you. Yes, you were an asshole during initiation, but you had your reasons. I more than understand the need to keep a facade to stay safe. What do you think I have been doing all through initiation? I had to shut a part of me off in order to not raise red flags. I had to lie to my friends and let Peter taunt them with my supposed cheating just because I could not tell them that I was doing so well in stage two due to my divergence. I think that is one of the reasons I was drawn to Tobias. I could be myself with him because we were both in the same boat. I relished those few moments where I did not have to hide."

"Tris, I am so sorry I could not save him for you," Eric starts again.

"You did all you could! You saved him; Peter killed him. There are at least twenty-six Dauntless still roaming around because of you! Don't sell yourself short. And we will never know how my relationship with Tobias would have progressed. We had just started, we barely kissed. I am sure Evelyn would have found a way to spoil it in her attempt to gain his support. Eric, we are alive, we have the chance to make whatever we want out of the cards she threw at us. We are going to have two babies before we know it. You want to see the babies whenever you want?" I look him straight in the eye.

"Yes!"

"You want to see where this situation between us is going?"

"Yes!"

"You want to work on building a relationship that ends in 'till death do us apart'?

"God, yes," Eric almost moans out loud.

"Then just be yourself! I will try to as well, but I am not sure about those hormones. So far, they have been throwing me off left and right," I peck his lips as well, to show him that I am serious.

"We will take it slow. You can come and visit me here any time you want. When I am out, I want you to train me to become a leader. I want to move into my own apartment and go on dates with you. If all goes well, I am open to moving in together before the babies are born." I give him another kiss and he tries to deepen it. His tongue pokes out and instinctively I open my mouth. He slowly pushes his tongue forward and seeks mine. I mimic his movements and indulge for a minute or two before slowly pulling back.

"What about marriage?" Eric whispers, as if saying it too loudly would scare me.

"It is on the table, but not yet," I declare, and he hugs me.

"That's all I wanted to hear," Eric states, and grins at me.

"So, we are good," I question, and Eric beams at me.

"Oh yes, this is more than I hoped for!"

"Good! Do you think you can ask ... Lisa?" Eric nods. "Can you ask Lisa to come and do another ultrasound for me?" I bite my lip.

"Sure," he gives me a quick peck on the lips and moves back into his seat to grab the tablet out of a bag I did not notice before. He taps away and then exchanges the tablet for an envelope. "I know you are going to see them soon, but here..." Eric pulls out a stack of pictures from my previous ultrasounds. I want to hold them myself, but I can't just yet, so Eric holds them up for me to see… one after the other.

"It is so weird to see them like this," I mumble.

"Just wait until you hear the heartbeat and see them move around!" Eric is clearly excited at the prospect of being there for another ultrasound.

There is a sharp knock on the door and a very pretty woman about my mom's age enters, dragging a big ass machine with her. Eric jumps up to help her, and together they set everything up.

"You got here pretty quickly," I comment, and she turns to me.

"Hi Tris, it is so nice to see you finally awake. I am Lisa and I have been looking after you and the little ones for the last four weeks." She seems nice.

"Hi," I quip.

"And yes, I was here faster than usual. Your mom stopped by and told me you'd be asking for me sooner or later, so I brought everything down and did my rounds a bit earlier. I am all yours now," she winks, and I like her already.

Lisa plugs the machine in, and it whirls to life. "I am going to help you with your blankets for now. Soon you will be able to do all this yourself. Ready," Lisa asks, and after my nod she pulls my blanket down and my top up.

"Wow!" I can't hold back my surprise. Eric comes up to grab my hand, and I squeeze his fingers. He squeezes right back.

"It almost doubled in size over the four weeks since we know," he murmurs to me in order to not block out the sounds of son's heartbeats.

"Ah, they are not in sync anymore," Lisa tells us, but all I can hear is very fast rhythmic beats and whooshing.

Lisa moves the wand and hits a few buttons, and I suddenly see one of my boys in clear as day three-dimensional image. It's all there. I only realize I am crying because of Eric wiping my tears away. I squeeze his hand in thanks but can't tear my eyes away from the screen.

"And this is baby number two!" Lisa moves over to the other baby.

"This is so surreal. I mean, I knew they were in there, but this just really brings it home. Look at them, Eric," I urge, and he laughs.

"He was just like you the first and the second time he saw me give you an ultrasound." Lisa hits a few more buttons and then there is whirring as the machine spits out pictures.

"Eric, turn your tablet on and go on frequency..." she checks the side of the screen quickly. "... 104.6. "she waits for Eric to follow through. "There should be the option to record on the bottom left."

"Got it," Eric taps away, and Lisa once more shows us our boys in perfect three-dimensional images. She takes her time and Eric stares at the big screen with me instead of his tablet.

Once Lisa is done, he hits a few buttons and then switches the tablet off.

"All right, mom. Time for a chat!" Lisa turns her full attention to me. "I had prenatal vitamins added to your food cocktail, but now that you are awake you will have to move on to pills. We have multivitamins, extra iron and folic acid. Once you keep the first few soups down and move on to mash, we will start on those. There are some foods that you should avoid, and under no circumstances are you to touch alcohol." She looks at me sternly and I grin.

"Never touched it in my life," I state, to which she raises an eyebrow. "Former Abnegation, fell into a coma the night I was made a Dauntless member." And now she nods in agreement.

"That's great. So I can safely assume the same goes for smoking?" I nod and then turn to Eric with my own raised eyebrow.

"I quit a couple of months ago," Eric tells me, and then smirks because I have no reason to give out. "Did not touch alcohol either, thanks to Evelyn," he whispers the last part, but I hear him loud and clear.

"No deli meats! You can have hamburgers, I know they are popular in Dauntless, but make sure they are cooked well done. Anything that looks raw or undercooked, stay far away. Similar rule for eggs. They must be fully cooked, so the safest is to go with scrambled eggs. You can try and ask the chefs if they use raw egg for the icing on their cake, mayonnaise and salad dressings. If so, you can't have any either. Uh, no offal!"

I cringe. "That should not be a problem at all. I am more worried about the cake," I admit.

"Good. You need to limit your coffee consumption to two cups a day. Try to aim for less and treat yourself with one if you must. This way you appreciate it more," Lisa advises, and once more I nod. I see Eric fiddling with his tablet and turn my head to check on him.

"Are you recording this?" I ask before I can hold myself back.

"It's faster than trying to type one handed," is all Eric says with a shrug.

"Fine. Just give a copy later... Proceed," I tell Lisa.

"All fruit and vegetables you want to eat raw should be washed by either you or Eric. All unpasteurized milk, cheese and fruit juice is also on the no-go list." Lisa looks at Eric and makes sure he holds eye contact before she continues. "Eric, you need to try and track down a few things for Tris while she is still in here. Talk to your chefs and if they can't help you talk directly to Johanna. I know Tris is not the first pregnant woman in Dauntless, but she is under my care and expecting twins, so I think we can make this exemption. Greek yoghurt; legumes, which means lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, soybeans and peanuts; sweet potatoes, salmon; broccoli and dark leafy greens, which in this case means kale and spinach; lean meat like beef, pork and chicken. Berries are great, especially for snacking; whole grains, look for oats and quinoa; avocados. Now, dried fruit like dates and prunes are good, but need to be consumed in small quantities only. Tris always has to have access to fresh drinking water. Go for the bottled water for quality assurance. We do not need someone messing around with this and accidentally cause harm." I feel quite overwhelmed and I am extremely glad that Eric recorded everything.

"There is so much," I groan out loud.

Lisa laughs at seeing both of our faces. "You need to get on solids first and the hospital staff knows exactly what you can have. That's why Eric has this list, so everything will be sorted by the time you are released. It is not so hard once you know which dishes you like. I will send Eric an email later with recipes that you should try. There will even be labels on the individual recipes to say what can be cooked and then frozen in small portions to avoid having to cook all the time. They are practical, yet nutrient enriched. I am going to stop talking about food now and move on to your appointments with me."

It seems Lisa doesn't need to take breaks.

"I will need to see you back here for your twenty weeks check-up. We will check your bloods just before to make sure you do not have any deficiencies. Sean and I will do all of these ourselves. Nobody else will be touching your blood but us! Okay, twenty-four-week and twenty-eight-week checks, then we move in two-week intervals until thirty-four weeks. In the end I will see you every week. Request one of the armoured cars for these trips. You will not be able to take the train until those babies are born and you are cleared to do so by me."

Eric nods and I see he is once more recording everything Lisa has to say. I snort. "Why don't you write a book for all expecting parents to take home. Wouldn't that be easier than recounting everything and hoping that most of the information sticks," I ask, and I am not being sarcastic.

Lisa smiles at me with a face full of praise. "I did, but if I were to just give out the book nobody would pay attention."

"So true," I agree.

Eric perks up at the mention of a book and it does not go unnoticed by either of us.

"Yes, Eric, I will give you two copies! And yes, two, because I want Tris to be able to read it too!"

I laugh out loud. Lisa absolutely has his number.

"I am going to leave you guys alone now, but I am always just a call away. Tris, anytime you are worried, give a call, I will answer no matter the time! If I should be assisting in a delivery, there will be a message accordingly with an alternative contact. Tris, please take care of yourself. You have been given a lot of information and you have to give your brain time to catch up. It was lovely meeting you, and I will check back in with you sometime tomorrow."

And Lisa wheels her huge ultrasound machine back out the door.

With a resounding click we are left in silence. Eric's hand never left mine for the whole duration of her stay and I admit that the contact feels nice.


	10. Present Day, Part II

**Chapter nine**

**Present day**

**Tris POV**

With a resounding click we are left in silence. Eric's hand never left mine for the whole duration of her stay and I admit that the contact feels nice.

…

"What now," I ask, but another knock interrupts me. This time it is a nurse poking her head in. Upon seeing me awake she walks inside.

"Hello Tris, my name is Anna and I will be your day nurse this week. How are you feeling? Any pain?" She comes closer while talking and eyes Eric's hand entwined with mine curiously.

"I am good. Tired. My head is full of new information, but I don't feel any pain." I know I need to be honest.

Anna chuckles at the overload of information. "That's good. Doctor's orders are that I can remove your catheter and wheel you into the bathroom if you like to. How are your limbs doing?"

I am blushing at the thought of having a catheter inserted and now apparently removed. "My limbs are weak, but I am able to move them all a bit."

Anna smiles at me encouragingly. "That good, honey. Now, Eric, if you can wait outside for a bit, I will get Tris sorted out."

Eric looks reluctant to leave, so I squeeze his hand again.

"I am not letting you stay and watch! Go, have a cup of coffee, inform Max about the appointments with Lisa. Arrange a meeting with the chefs. There is plenty for you to do!" I smile at him to make sure he knows I am okay.

Eric stares at me for a moment and then nods his head. "Fine, I will get started on things. Tell Anna when you need help, Tris. This is not one of those moments when you can be stubborn." He doesn't wait for an answer, just pecks me on the lips and leaves with his bag slung over one shoulder.

"Good, now that the worrywart is gone. How are you really feeling, Tris?" Anna looks at me sternly.

"I am not in any physical pain, but there is a lot for me to process."

Anna nods.

"Falling asleep dating someone and just having finished initiation as first ranked, then to wake up six months later and learn all that has happened? Mind-blowing! I am pregnant, yet I never had sex. I am pregnant because the mother of my boyfriend decided I had to be punished for something I had no control over. Pregnant by someone she chose for me with the purpose of causing both of us pain. Who does that? And what mother in her right mind thinks I will either resent Eric or our children for what she did?" I end heatedly.

Anna smirks at me this time. "I have to tell you that I love working with Divergents. Every single one of you that I encountered took to the changes amazingly well. It's as if you were made to adapt and be resilient."

I look at her astonished. "With all that has been going on, has nobody taken the time to truly explain to the city what Divergents are?"

Anna loses her smile as she thinks this over. "No, I don't think anyone ever did! Huh, will you look at that..." she trails off.

"Divergents have aptitudes for more than one faction. We can't be put in those neat categories created when our forefathers decided on the faction system. For example, I do have aptitudes for three factions, I show traits of each one. I chose Dauntless, because that felt most as what I identify with. I can be brave like a Dauntless. I never lost the Abnegation trait of selflessness, but Dauntless curbed this and I am free to be selfless when I choose to. My last Aptitude is Erudite. I have been told I plan and look at all the sides before approaching a task. We won Dauntless' annual capture the flag with my strategy. So, in this case, I am able to think things through even if I fear some of the events that got me here. I have fears, but I can look at them logically. Does that make sense to you, Anna?"

She nods. "It does. Thank you for explaining it to me. It does make sense now how easy each one adapted to the new situation. You guys don't see black and white, you see multicolour and different angles where we have tunnel vision."

"That's the explanation we should go with," I exclaim happily. "I think I will talk to my parents about having Divergence explained to everyone using your words, if you don't mind?"

"Go ahead, sweetheart. Now, that we have that sorted out, let's get you mobile."

Anna bends down beside the bed and pulls something out. It looks weird from where I am sitting, but when she pushes a few bars in place and shakes the contraception out I can see it take the form of a wheelchair. Wow!

Once the chair is set up Anna pushes a few buttons on the side of the bed, and it lowers at least two feet. Then she grabs a pouch that was attached to the bed and carefully moves it to hang on the wheelchair. I can see a long tube extend and realize this is the other end of my catheter. Anna carefully helps me manoeuvre out of the bed and into the chair.

Once I am seated, and she is sure I am not going to just fall right out, Anna walks to a small wardrobe in the far corner. She rummages around and comes back with a black pajama. It doesn't look like my usual sleep attire and I say so.

"Your friends brought you clothes. Some of these are your old ones and some are new ones they got for you after they learned about the pregnancy."

"Oh, I forgot that I need new clothes." I look back down at my bump that is more prominent now that I am sitting up. "I will need to buy new things that can grow with me! Do we even have maternity clothes in Dauntless? Everything is so revealing!"

I am talking to myself, but Anna feels the need to answer.

"I have two kids myself. I was most comfortable in leggings and my husband's shirts. For now, you can stay in pajamas and when you are released, I will bring you some of my more faction neutral clothes," Anna offers.

"That is very kind of you. Did you have a baby recently? You look like you are in great shape."

Anna laughs. "No! My kids are already eight and ten. I just never got rid of the clothes, always thought it a waste to just dump them. Now they can go to a new home. You know, I might ask around the laundry if they can dye them for you," Anna offers.

"Would you? You think that's possible?" I am getting excited now. "Maybe it's the Abnegation in me that doesn't want to waste points on clothes that I am only going to wear for a short time," I lament.

"Sweetie, these two are just the beginning. I have been your nurse since you were admitted and I must tell you, that man is nuts about you. Trust me, if you plan on making a life with him there will be more babies in your future. He is meticulous in everything concerning you or your babies. He caught fire, and he will want more as soon as the current placeholders are out. Eric is a man I can imagine wanting a whole house full. It's really just the Amity who have large families, which is a pity in my opinion." Anna is full of revelations.

"Yet you only have two children yourself," I state without judgement.

"Not by choice! I had some complications with my last pregnancy after I did not follow doctor's orders, smart nurse that I am, and ended up with an emergency caesarean and a hysterectomy after Alan was out," she explains, and I can see it still bothers her to some extent.

"I am sorry if I brought up bad memories."

Anna waves me off and wheels me into the bathroom.

"I will put you on the shower seat and then remove your catheter. Don't worry about a thing if you feel like peeing yourself. That is completely normal. Here we go!" And she helps me move from the wheelchair to the shower chair. She pushes the wheelchair out of the way and grabs gloves from a dispenser. Next, she puts a few towels on the side and asks me to lean back as far as I can and then spread my legs.

A minute later I am having my first shower in six months. I am still sitting, and Anna is helping me. I am sniffing the air with my eyes closed while Anna shampoos my hair.

"It's strawberry and vanilla shampoo. Eric got it for you," Anna explains without being prompted.

How did he know I liked this one? It can't be coincidence. Then I remember how close he came to me during training. He must have smelled it then and remembered?! Really?

Mom was right, he was already paying attention to me and waiting for a time when he could be himself again. I feel deprived in a sense. I would have liked for us to get to know each other the normal way. We still can, says something in the back of my mind. Yes, we can, and we will. I want to make it happen, and so does Eric. There is a connection, and I can not deny the spark between us.

It feels a bit weird when Anna washes my private parts, but I am glad it is her and not a male nurse or, god forbid, Eric. The thought of him seeing me like this is strange. I know that he will see me naked if we manage to progress into a proper relationship, but now it feels a bit too early.

"Done," Anna proclaims, and I open my eyes again.

"Thank you, Anna," I say politely.

"No bother at all. It's part of my job, and I have to tell you; I am so glad you are not another large and bulky Dauntless male. They were making a fuss, I tell you," she snickers at the memory.

Anna manages to get me dressed in my new and very revealing pajamas. It is soft cotton though and feels heavenly after the rough hospital gown. The top is sleeveless and has a deep v-cut. The size around the tummy is generous yet highlighting the baby bump. The bottoms are short shorts with an elastic waistband that can be extended further by releasing some nifty buttons.

Anna wheels me back and helps me into bed.

"How are you feeling, Tris? Tired or do you want to practice your limbs a bit more?"

"I want to keep going," I state with determination.

"Great, here, squeeze these for me with your hands while I brush your hair," she hands me two soft balls that expand as if there was gel inside.

Anna gets to work and keeps up the chit chat while brushing my hair. I completely forget that I am squeezing the balls until a knock on the door startles me.

Anna snorts, "I bet Eric got impatient!" She gets up and checks who is on the other side of the door before turning to me. "Are you ready for visitors? It's Eric, but Max and Hana are with him."

"Yes, that's fine. Tell them they can come in. Thanks, Anna."

And Anna makes space to let Eric, Max and Hana in before closing the door again. She walks back to me and proceeds to brush my hair.

…

"You look nice, Tris," Eric compliments, and I blush when his eyes do not meet mine but stay on my middle. They seem to only move from my bump to my breasts and back.

"Thanks! I would wager a guess and say it was Christina who bought me this outfit."

Max laughs. "Wrong! It was Hana on your mom's behalf."

My head jerks to him. "Are you serious?"

"As Dauntless cake," he answers, and I look at Hana.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

And she guffaws.

"Not one bit! If it were Uriah saying this, it would be different."

I nod to that because I know how serious he takes his cake.

"Thanks! Love you too, Hana!" Max tries to sound annoyed, but he fails because he is still smiling at me brightly. "And so she wakes..."

"Yes, I never got to ask how many are left," I remember one of my earlier questions that I never got to ask.

I feel bad for forgetting, but there was so much going on, I don't think I had time to think about all the unanswered questions.

"Six more including Uriah. His twitching has become more pronounced. You were the same. From twitching to certain stimuli only right on to restlessly moving around," Max explains.

"Really? How come I had so much trouble moving my limbs when waking up," I ask curiously.

"It's your brain taking back control over your body, now that you are awake, and this made it harder for you to control your movements willingly," Anna throws in, and I have to admit, I almost forgot she was there.

"Thanks," I say while looking at Eric.

He has still to lift his eyes and it is getting a bit embarrassing. Max and Hana notice where my attention moved to and snicker. Max goes as far as poking Eric in the ribs and he finally looks up.

"What," he growls at Max.

"Eric, behave! Max was just trying bring your attention back to us."

"Sorry, Tris. You look really good in those clothes!" He seems to add the last part almost involuntarily.

"Thank you, it seems they are compliments of my mom and Hana."

I turn back to Hana. "Thank you, they are really soft and comfy." I compliment.

"No problem, Tris. You are more than welcome," Hana tries to reply, but she is cut off by Eric.

"You have to show me which shop you got them from."

"Eric," I exclaim. "Behave!"

Max, Hana and Anna snicker when I berate Eric again.

"Anna is going to bring her old maternity clothes for me and that is enough! I don't need ten pajamas. I will outgrow everything sooner or later, and I won't be using them once the babies are born." Eric's face falls.

"No, you will need different clothes then. I have a few nursing tops that I will throw in as well," Anna tells me.

"Oh, you will need nursing bras. We will have to get you fitted when you are around your thirty-week mark." Hana is getting all excited.

"Uh, sorry, why then? I am still quite clueless regarding all things pregnancy," I admit, and Hana and Anna exchange a glance.

"Your breasts are going to get bigger and bigger. Around thirty weeks they have more or less the correct size, and you can buy the nursing bras. Those are designed to let you open just a small part to make it easier to nurse the baby without having to take everything off or bare it all. When your milk comes in you need to have a strong support. When they are full your breasts will look massive. Sirius, my late husband, used to love just looking at them."

Anna confirms this for her own husband as well.

"Well, Eric is one step ahead, it seems," I quip, and Eric looks at me inquiringly. "How long were you staring before Max got your attention?"

Eric is fucking blushing. I feel sorry for him now that I have brought the attention to his behaviour.

"Hana, Max, did Eric tell you about my chosen profession?" I look at both of them and see they are giving me their full attention.

"No, he was going on about other topics." Max tells me diplomatically, and I can't supress the snort.

"I choose leadership. We will have to accommodate the pregnancy, but I want to get as much as possible done before the babies are here."

Hana hugs me. "I am so glad you chose leadership. Now we just need to wait for Uriah. I can take care of your training plan and run it by you before you are released," Hana offers, but Eric jumps into the conversation.

"Tris and I agreed that I will train her." Both Max and Hana gawk at him. "What?!" Eric asks annoyed.

"Is that wise," Max asks cautiously.

"Why not," I query.

"Because he will be trying to protect you and cushion you wherever you go. It is something he will do instinctively without ever intending to," Hana explains, and I look at Eric.

Eric shrugs and I feel dread pooling in my stomach. "Eric, you know I need to get as much training done as I can, and it had to be as fast paced as possible. Would you really hinder me if I want to succeed?"

At least Eric takes his time to think things through before answering. "Hana is right, I might do it unintentionally," he admits.

"Ok, then I am sure I want Eric to be my mentor." They all gape at me. "We agreed to give us a shot. Go on dates, get to know each other properly with the goal of seeing if we can move in with each other before the babies are here. Eric will be protective no matter where we are. It's best we both learn how to deal with this situation early on," I state, and both Hana and Anna applaud.

"Now, Choosing Day was September 1st, Ranking Ceremony was September 22nd, correct?" All nod. "Now we are at the end of March?"

Eric answers this time. "Today is March 25th."

I nod. "Great! So the babies are due around beginning of September. I want to be as involved in initiation as possible. There was so much wrong with mine and I feel the need to be there to ensure all changes are observed."

Max and Hana look at Eric. "Don't look at me! We all agreed initiation was bullshit and that we want to change it. Tris was the one to suffer through the last one, so she is perfect for this job." I smile, but he holds up his hand. "That doesn't mean we are giving you free reign. The two of us can make it our pet project and you will be as involved as medically cleared by Lisa. If, by the time initiation rolls around, the babies are not here we will head every restriction she puts on you. If, which I presume to be the case, the twins are already born it is up to you. I personally would prefer you will take your time to recuperate, but apart from having to be medically cleared I will support your choices."

I have tears in my eyes once more. "Come here," I blurt out, and open my arms as wide as possible. Eric just looks at my tears with resignation and then moves into my arms so I can hug him. "Thank you," I whisper in his ear.

"Who would have thought six months ago that there will be a day Tris hugs Eric voluntarily without wanting to maim or kill," states a voice from the door, and I squeal.

"Shit! Tris, my ears!" Eric moves back quickly, just to return and kiss me before standing up.

"What? She is right! Christina! Come here! God, what happened to you?" She looks so different. She grew her hair out and now it's dyed a silvery white. It looks great on her. To me it looks like she grew in size. And I mean height AND breasts. "You look so grown up now!" I can't help but exclaim.

Christina chuckles and eyes my new pajama set that just highlights my own physical changes. "Right back at ya! Look at those tits, Tris!"

Eric takes that opportunity to check them out again as if he hasn't seen them before. I ignore it this time. Anna leaves with the promise to come back later and leaves me with all my visitors.

"I have been told this is nothing yet. Wait another fourteen weeks and we will have to compare again." Eric nods enthusiastically and Hana takes the liberty of swatting him for me. "Thanks, Hana!" I laugh at Eric's pout.

…

I spend the next hours talking about everything with them. Turns out Christina chose initiate instructor and Factionless patrol as her profession. When Anna comes back with my dinner, they all turn to leave, but Eric lingers.

"Go home. Get some rest and follow up on all the things Lisa told you to. Make sure you are not too late to talk to the chefs," I encourage, and finally Eric leaves with the promise to be back.

"I am counting on it," I reply and blow him a kiss. Normally I wouldn't even think about being this bold, but this new Eric takes all my inhibitions and worries away. It just feels... normal!

"Now that your personal guard has left you in my capable hands, let's try to see if you can stomach some broth," Anna encourages, and spends the next half hour helping me feed myself. It is slow going but I am able to feed myself and the food stays down.

"That was great, Tris. We will keep up the liquid diet for another day and then we will be getting everything puréed for at least another day."

It was great feeding myself and I tell Anna so.

"Now that we are done, we will try to get you in the bathroom on your own. I brought you something in case you need to use the restroom tonight. Feel free to call for assistance, especially if you feel like you might be fainting." Anna goes back to the door and returns with a rigid walking frame. She puts it close to the bed and steps up to guide me out of the bed.

Anna makes sure to let me do as much as possible on my own, and I am very pleased with the results. I am standing, extremely wobbly, mind you, but Anna's hands are enough to keep me steady. We slowly proceed to walk into the bathroom, and I manage to brush my own teeth. By the time we reach the bed I am exhausted, and I decline the offered sleep aid. I will have no problem in that regard, and I was right. I am out like a light before Anna even leaves the room.


	11. A few days later

Chapter ten

**Tris POV**

The next few days pass in a blur of activities. I am seen by every doctor currently employed in the hospital, if feels like, meet all different types of therapists and of course see Lisa and Meredith daily. My stream of visitors is never ending. Eric is spending a lot of his time at the hospital, sitting beside me and working on whatever he needs to take care of.

…

Today is my last full day in the hospital and I have asked Eric for a favour. I had to swear to him it was not for me, and after I explained everything, he was more than willing to conspire with me.

I am pacing the room, dressed in my latest set of sinful baby bump and breast enhancing pajamas. None of them bought by Eric, mind you. Hana and Christina both gave me a new set the second day after I woke up.

"I am here, let's go ... wow, I like this one the best," Eric exclaims, and comes over to rub my bump and kiss me thoroughly on the lips. We have gotten to the point where I don't care who sees us and it is liberating in so many ways. My friends are absolutely fine with me and Eric, and sometimes it feels more like they are Eric's friends and not mine. I am a bit envious, yet on the other hand I am so glad that Eric was able to mend all those bridges he had to break while faking it for Jeanine's benefit. Christina actually called him sexy and was gushing about how Eric took care of me and my needs while I was unconscious.

As for the pregnancy, I got a ton of baby presents as well. It seems everyone who knows me wanted to show his or her support. Eric took everything to my new apartment that I will move into tomorrow. I can't wait. The hospital staff is fantastic, but I am looking forward to doing what I want, whenever I want.

We finally come up for air, and I raise an eyebrow at Eric when I notice his hands are no longer on my bump, but on my breasts.

"Oops..." Eric doesn't sound apologetic at all. "Come on, let's go!"

Eric still doesn't know how to deal with my teasing. I think he just needs time to trust me to really be with him for himself and not the babies.

He grabs my hand and guides me out into the corridor and two doors down to where Uriah is twitching and moaning.

"Ok, hand it over," I demand with my hand outstretched.

"Bossy," Eric grumbles, but opens his bag and takes a container out.

I don't wait for him to open it. I take it and pop the lid, then I move my hand close to Uriah's nose.

"Uri, I have Dauntless cake here. Do you want it? Hmmm, can you smell the decadent chocolate? The chocolate frosting and the gooey middle... Wow, look at those dark colours. They look as good as they smell. I would love to take just one bite; you wouldn't even notice it. Maybe I will lick a bit of frosting..." I don't get to say more because I am suddenly staring into Uriah's eyes.

"Fuck me," Eric exclaims beside me, and then rushes out to alert medical staff that Uriah is awake.

He is back less than a minute later, and he brought a drink. Uriah stares at me with wide eyes and opens his mouth a few times to say something. I gently lift his head and put the beaker to his lips. Just like my mom did with me, I give him only a few sips each time.

"What the fuck happened to you, Tris? This is the weirdest dream ever! Tris pregnant, Eric looks worried about me and I am... where am I," he trails off.

"You are in the hospital," I supply. "Remember the tracking serum we were given after our fear landscapes?"

Uriah nods.

"Jeanine added transmitters to make Dauntless her mindless slaves, but the real kicker was what she added to flush out any Divergents. She managed to get our organs to shut off. Max and Eric managed to shut it down as quickly as they could, but we, the Divergents, ended up in a coma. I woke up just a few days ago," I explain, and he looks at me wide eyed, then back down to my bump and up at me.

"I don't believe you! You look extremely pregnant and I just saw you a few hours ago." He states, and I can see his irritation come to the surface.

"I should have told you that we now have March 30th. Initiation happened over six months ago. There is a lot to tell you whenever you feel up to it," I tell him just as Anna walks in.

Uriah's eyes widen at the sight of her.

"Welcome back, Uriah," she quips, and starts to check him over. "Can you try to move your arms and legs for me?"

Just like me he struggles, and he is not happy about this.

"You will be able to walk around soon. Just look at Tris! She will be allowed to go home tomorrow."

"Your mom and Max will be here soon, and I sent a message to Zeke that you are awake. He said he will try to get out of work as soon as possible," Eric sounds off from behind me.

You can hear someone running down the corridor and then Hana rushes into the room. She comes to a complete standstill upon seeing Uriah awake and then bursts out in tears.

"Oh my god! Fucking finally! I swear you always were the worst to wake up in the mornings, but this took it way too far, Uriah, way too far," she sobs out, and then I break out in tears as well, because ... duh!

I can feel Eric's strong arms wrap around me, and I snuggle into them. Uriah's eyes widen comically at seeing all of us acting so differently.

"No, it's not a sim! I thought the same and asked people to confirm random things to me."

Uriah nods his head as if to say, well, go ahead! "Uh, after Capture the flag you tried to squeeze at paintball at me but ended up spraying your own mouth. We went zip lining and you went right after me. You screamed like a strangled cat." At that lasts one Hana snorts.

Eric takes over. "I ran one of your fear simulations during initiation and you were afraid of..." Uriah shakes his head as if to say 'no' and Eric goes close enough to whisper the rest into his ear. Uriah nods.

"I believe you guys are real," he states slowly, as if gathering enough strength speak clearly.

"Do you want to sleep, or do you want to hear what happened these past six months," I ask, and he contemplates it.

"Now," he declares.

"Do you need painkillers, Uriah?" Anna asks kindly, but he declines.

So we proceed to tell him everything that has happened that seems important.

I cried a few more times, ate a snack Eric handed me from his bag and cuddled up to Eric for most of the time. When we were finally done Uriah asked us to let him have a nap and think things through. We told him we would be just two doors down in my room and to tell the nurse to come get us when he felt like it.

…

"That went better than expected," Max says, and Hana and I snort. "What?!"

"He did not joke," I blurt out, and Hana nods.

"And?" Max is clearly clueless.

"Uriah jokes about everything, and if he does not joke it's a matter of life and death. I really hope he believes us instead of thinking this is some elaborate sim," Hana states, and this time I nod.

"But he believed me when I told him about the fear simulation I ran with him," Eric reminds us.

"Yes, you did, but I think we should come up with something from people he really trusts. Hana, Zeke, Lynn, Marlene. He knew me only for a few weeks and you have been injecting all of us with Erudite's serum, Eric. He could very well think we are part of the plot," I state, and they all nod in agreement.

"Ok, I will go over, see if he is awake and tell him a few things that he doesn't even know I know I know about. Uh, it's better if you guys stay here," she grimaces.

…

While Hana goes over, we chat with Max about my upcoming release.

"Eric and I will come over in the armoured car we use for such occasions. I will have a driver stay with the car to make sure nobody gets a chance to temper with it." I nod. Better be safe than sorry. "I will start taking your things down and Eric will make sure you get everything you need from the hospital and that the plans for aftercare are in place."

"I have your apartment stocked with all the food Lisa requested, and Johanna, as well as our chefs, were very helpful. I, uhm, got you the apartment next to mine." Eric looks at me like I am going to go off on him for this.

"Thank you. This will make it easier for training and to go out on dates," I smile up at him.

"Good, I also stocked your apartment with some of my extras. I am just talking towels and linen here. Nothing special. Christina and Marlene cleaned it for you, and Christina stocked your bathroom with essentials," Eric explains further, and I kiss him quickly to make sure he knows it's all good.

"I brought your tablet and all manuals that you will need throughout your training. There are more copies in your office, but whenever you feel like staying in for a bit you have everything there and do not need to carry papers round with you!" Max doesn't want to be forgotten and I give him a hug in thanks. It's a bit awkward with the bump, but I manage.

"I promise, I will tell all of you when it gets too much. Please do not baby me or hold back. My brain is not fried, I am just a bit pregnant." They snort. "Ok, I am almost halfway through this pregnancy, but I am still capable."

Hana comes back in with a big smile on her face.

"Yep, he needed some more convincing. In the end he told me to stop talking because he would rather stay under the illusion that I have no clue what he was up to growing up." We all laugh at that. "He still wants a bit of time to himself to reflect, but he said he would like all of us to come back later. Anna is going to help him up and into the bathroom in an hour and we will go when they are done. Now, what did I miss here?"

We fill her in, and she goes with Eric over his training plan for me. As he progresses her face shows her mounting displeasure.

"Eric, you really should have talked to Lisa about all of this. Tris is allowed to shoot for another three weeks with some extra precautions. Go talk to her about everything you took out and you will see how much Tris is still allowed to do. Go!" And she pushes Eric towards the door. Eric looks first at me, then at Max before finally leaving.

"Can you believe this? As a former Erudite I would have thought he'd research a bit more before excluding every aspect from the physical," Hana vents.

"Maybe he did not have enough time," I ask, trying to be diplomatic.

"Don't go making excuses for his behaviour. All he needed to do was make a list of all that he was unsure of, or thought you could not do, and run it by Lisa!" Fine, she's got him there, so I just nod in agreement.

"I will make sure to reserve the training room for you for the next three weeks. We can all take turns and bring Uriah in once he is released," Max offers.

"Are you that sure he will agree to become a leader?" I am a bit doubtful after all.

"Having the chance to make a difference for his Faction and Divergents? You bet he will take it. I knew he wanted to do more than just sit in the control room. Uriah is a people's person and he loved to chat. This will make us all more approachable if we sent him out first. I have no problem being the disciplinarian," Hana ends, and I have no doubt about that after raising Zeke and Uriah.

"I noticed you did not mention the wedding you have been planning for the last five months." I look at her sternly and she cringes.

"I did not know how to add this little titbit," Hana admits, and I smile at her.

"Just tell him you met someone that makes you happy and that he proposed to you six months ago. Tell Uriah you were waiting for him to wake up because you want him to be there for this important next step in your life. Don't even mention Max until Uriah tells you how he feels about you getting married again," I suggest, and both Hana and Max nod.

"Max, will you be so good as to get me a coffee and a snack for both of us from the cafeteria? It's getting closer to dinner time and we still need to wait for Uriah to be ready." Hana looks at Max and flutters her eyelashes.

Max sighs. "Any preference," he asks both of us.

"Can you see if they have pasteurized yoghurt and fresh berries? If not, just a banana or an apple, please," I ask, and Hana surprisingly asks for the same.

…

Max leaves and Hana turns to me.

"Now that the men are all busy, let's talk business."

I only look at her questioningly.

"You and Eric are making progress and the couples front?" Hana doesn't beat around the bush.

"Yes?"

"Good. I know from your mom that you are still a virgin, Tris. I don't think the others know this little bit of information and I wanted to give you some advice before it's too late."

I motion for her to go, a little mortified talking about this.

"Ask Eric for help with that."

I try to interrupt but she puts up her hand in a 'wait' gesture.

"I am aware of your fears, Tris. What you are not counting on at the moment are your pregnancy hormones. You will get horny. There is no better way to say this. You will want to have him service you around the clock. My Sirius claimed a few times he would not be able to get it up ever again. While this is not true, there will be a big difference in libido. Start out slow. I know you are at a point where you give a shit who sees you kiss Eric. The next step is going to be getting comfortable with body contact. Ask him for daily foot rubs, and back and neck massages are heaven. He has to touch your bare skin to do so, and it is a great starting point. I got you some cream to prevent stretch marks and there is also an oil you can use. Get Eric to help you put it on twice a day. Start off small and increase the area he can touch. You will need to cover your thighs, stomach and breasts for it to be effective. I left it in your bathroom cabinet and a spare one is in your nightstand."

I smile at Hana at hearing this. "Thank you, Hana. This is really kind of you, and I appreciate it. And the advice it sound. I will have to see what I will start with. I am already at the point where I have those cravings. What should I do? This is all so new to me!"

Hana smiles brightly. "You will be just fine, Tris. Maybe you can ask Eric for a foot massage before he leaves today, and tomorrow you can ask for a back rub. The day after you ask for help with the oil on your tummy. Move on to your thighs and then your breasts. By then he will be more than willing to do whatever you want. Just don't forget to warn him that you still have your hymen intact. He will know what to do I am sure. In case he doesn't you need to be relaxed. Tell him to give you a few orgasms and stretch you with his fingers as best as he can. He might even break the hymen before he goes in. You don't have to worry about contraception now, so just enjoy the feeling of him bare. There is nothing that can beat this."

Hana abruptly stops and not five seconds later Eric walks in, looking quite sheepish.

"Uh, we will do physical training over the next three weeks and then we move on to office work. You will still observe Uriah do some training exercises, but not do much yourself if it involves weapons. I am going to check if Anthony is still here as I need some safety equipment for you," Eric explains, and then rushes back out.

"He is already whipped. Good job, Tris. You really got a good one there. Who would have guessed all of this six months ago?"

"Yeah, nobody! That's for sure. How time changes things, huh?" I don't get to chat further with Hana as Anna comes in to let us know Uriah is ready for us.

"Showtime!" Hana says and starts for the door. She turns back to me. "Come on, Tris. I need some support when I tell him about getting married."

…

It turns out Hana's worries were unfounded. Uriah told his mom he was happy for her having met someone and that she would not be lonely with both him and Zeke gone. He even took the revelation that Max was going to be his stepfather quite well. The babies' conception was already revealed to him earlier, but he still chatted with me about everything else, and especially about how it feels weird to know you missed so much time, yet you are quite accepting. I told him about what he could expect the following days regarding, well everything.

We parted ways when Max showed up with the snacks and Eric came back carrying a big box.

Uriah confirmed to Max and Eric that he would be honoured to be the fifth leader and looking forward to getting to know his new daddy during training. Max just groaned at that, and I am sure there will be some practical jokes before all is said and done.

Eric lugged the box back into my room and stashed it in the corner to take along with my things when he came back with the car.

I am quickly eating my yoghurt and banana before coming up with my first request.

"Eric, do you think you can do me a favour?" I smile at him.

"Sure. What do you need?" Eric looks at me expectantly.

"Would you be willing to massage my feet for a few minutes? I am a bit sore all over, but my feet and shoulders are the worst," I declare, and Eric doesn't need to be told twice.

He grabs the chair and gently seats me into it before kneeling on the floor and grabbing my feet. He takes my shoes and socks off and starts rubbing his thumbs over the soles of my feet. It feels heavenly, and I close my eyes in delight. Eric seems to find just the right spots, and I find myself moaning in pleasure.

"Oh, this is good. Yes, right there. Keep going, that spot is golden, I tell you. Oh, mmhh, yes, right there! Oh my God! This is sooo good."

Eric suddenly stops and I open my eyes in surprise. I see Eric swallow hard. "What's wrong? Oh no, are your knees sore? I am so sorry! Uh, why don't you take a pillow from my bed next time? Thank you, Eric, that was really great!" I am babbling, but Eric won't look me in the eye. I move my butt closer to the edge of the seat and try to make eye contact. "What is wrong, Eric?"

He shakes his head as if to clear it and finally looks up at me.

"Nothing is wrong, Tris. I am glad you enjoyed it." I take his face in my hands and bring it closer to mine in order to kiss him softly on the lips. Eric has other plans and crashes his mouth to mine. I respond in kind and open my mouth to welcome his tongue with mine. We both moan at the sensations, and I put my hands on his shoulders to pull him in closer.

A throat clears loudly, and I open my eyes in surprise, looking straight into Eric's gray ones.

"Beatrice," my father's voice can be heard, and Eric swallows hard.

"Hi dad," I smile brightly at my parents.

"Don't you 'hi dad' me. Explain to me what you are doing, young lady," father is getting red in the face.

"Kissing the father of my children to thank him for a heavenly foot rub," I state boldly.

I am so not going to let anyone tell me what I can and can not do.

Ooh, a foot rub," mom gushes. "I know I lived for those ... and back rubs," mom is getting a faraway look on her face.

"I was planning on asking for a back-massage tomorrow," I throw out in the open.

"Done," Eris simply states and rises to his feet. "Just let me know when, okay?" He leans in for a peck, and we both ignore my father's growling.

"Andrew," mom calls him out. "We are happy that Eric and Tris want to make it work. They are not in Abnegation," she reminds him kindly, and father relents.

Eric says his goodbyes shortly after, promising to be back bright and early to take me home. My parents stay for a little bit longer, and we even go to see Uriah.


	12. Coming home

**Chapter eleven**

**Tris POV**

The next day dawns early and I am awake before the sun rises. My excitement at leaving the hospital makes it impossible to sleep, and I am double and triple checking that I have packed everything by seven am.

"Good morning, Tris. You are up early," Anna quips when she comes into my room carrying a large box.

"Morning, I couldn't sleep. I am more than ready to go home," I can hear the smile stretching my lips.

"I brought you the clothes we talked about and guess what!? They were able to dye them for you." Anna is so excited; it is ramping up my own emotions.

"Look," she exclaims. and opens the box for me to see the black garments.

I walk over to take a look, and without my consent my hands pull out the first item.

It is a black dress and soft like nothing I have ever touched. I hold it up to take a closer look and drop it with a small shriek.

"Anna! That is not a dress!"

"Oh, honey, it is. Believe me, when you feel horny, this is your go-to item. I bet it will look great on you. We have a similar height," Anna trails off while looking wistfully at the dress.

"But it is open in the front," I am staring at her like she lost her marbles.

"And it will be feeling really great when all your clothes are getting tight," Anna returns. "Why don't you try it on, Tris," she nods her head towards the bathroom, and I shake my head 'no'.

"Come on, better do it now with me standing guard instead of when you are home and have Eric hovering around."

I see her wisdom and wordlessly take the dress into the bathroom with me.

The top of the dress looks so innocent. It has a boat neck and the sleeves are long, but just shortly after my breasts the fabric is cut and my bump pokes through. I must admit that is does feel heavenly, and I peek my head out of the bathroom to see if the coast is clear.

"Look at you. That just highlights the pregnancy glow and puts those babies in the spotlight. Your undies compliment the dress, but if you have time, go and find some lacy ones." Anna is on a roll, but I am soaking up the compliments.

"Go and change back into the clothes you picked out for today. You never know how impatient Eric will be."

…

Wiser words have never been spoken and Anna is only halfway through my release papers when Eric walks in without knocking.

"Good morning, beautiful. Ready to go home?" He kisses me squarely on the lips and then bends down to wish our boys a good morning as well.

"A few more minutes, Eric. We are just going over the last bit of paperwork. If you don't mind taking Tris' luggage downstairs and collect her medicine from the pharmacy, we will be done before you know it," Anna answers for me.

I nod to show it is fine with me, and Eric lifts the heavy box with Anna's clothes before grabbing my large duffel bag.

"Don't take too long," he demands, and leaves us alone once more.

…

Anna hugs me when we are done. "Let me know how things go, Tris. Best of luck," she gives me a bright smile and then pulls out a small wrapped gift.

"Don't open it in front of Eric," is the only things she gets to say before we can hear the sound of heavy boots stomping down the corridor.

Eric and Max push through the door frame at almost the same time, bumping shoulders and elbowing each other.

"Ready, Tris," Max beams.

"You have no idea," I reply with conviction.

…

Eric holds my hand while Max leads the way down to the bay reserved for Dauntless.

"Christina, Will," I shout when I see them standing guard around a large truck.

"Hi, Tris, ready to go home," Will asks, and comes over to hug me.

"Of course she is. She has three weeks to kick Eric's ass before she's not allowed to train anymore," Christina elbows Will until he releases me and makes space for her to come and hug me.

Eric stored the box he got from Anthony in the back and is waiting to lift me gently up and into my seat.

"That is not a permanent thing, is it," I ask, and his face falls. "The high seats," I clarify. "Don't we have any cars that are a bit closer to the ground?"

"I told you we should have taken the sedan," Max sounds off from the front and Eric just pinches the bridge of his nose.

My hand finds his and I squeeze. "I don't mind you lifting me, but it would be better if you did not have to," I whisper into his ear.

"Are you comfortable, Tris?" Max shouts back and once I reply in the positive, we are off.

…

Sooner than expected we are driving into a warehouse at the train depot.

"Go ahead and show Tris her new apartment. We will follow with her stuff," Max's encouragement is all it takes for Eric to lift me out of my seat. He doesn't set me down, though, but proceeds to carry me to the elevator bank.

"I can walk, you know?" I am playing with the hair at his nape. "Can you please set me down?"

Eric does so with a deep sigh.

"Thank you," I peck him on the lips.

"Don't thank me yet," he growls.

"I need the exercise and it is good for me and the babies," I simply state, and I know I have won this round.

We are heading up to the sixth floor and Eric hands me an access card before indicating door number 603.

"Just slide it through the slot on the side and scan your hand," he instructs, and I can hear the door unlock.

"This is a new lock. We found it is safer than the previous keypads. Currently all leaders have access to your apartment and the same goes for mine, Max's and Hana's." Eric indicates the respective doors.

I step inside the small hallway and it is like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Inhaling deeply, I walk straight ahead into the living area. From here I can see multiple doors leading to different sides.

One by one I find the kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms has an abundance of presents on the bed.

"Is all that for us?" I point to the large pile.

"No," Eric smirks, "that is just your share. I still have mine next door."

"Wow," I slowly walk forward and sift through some of the items. Baby clothes, diapers and an abundance of toys.

"Yes, Dauntless wants us to know they are hundred percent behind us," Eric sounds emotional and I turn around. His facial expression has me break out in tears.

"Shh, Tris, no need to get upset," Eric hugs me to him and rubs my back.

"Then stop getting upset over it yourself," I sniffle.

I can hear the others arriving with my things and slowly step out of Eric's arms.

"Thank you," I sniff, and walk out to help my friends with my belongings.

…

An hour later I am leaning against Eric heavily, exhausted from all the unpacking and exploring.

"Come on, Tris. Let's have a snack and then you can lie down for a nap," Eric walks over to the kitchen and comes back with an assortment of fresh fruit and crackers.

I devour them in no time at all and before I know it a loud yawn escapes my mouth.

"Bedtime," Eric states, helps me up and leads me into the bedroom.

Without a word I lie down and close my eyes, but the sound of disappearing footsteps has me sitting upright.

"Come back," I shout, and Eric runs back inside.

"What's wrong, Tris? Are you feeling okay? Is anything hurting?" Eric sounds alarmed, and I can feel my cheeks heat up.

"No, nothing like that. Will you..." I swallow, "Will you lie down with me and rub my shoulders and back?"

"If that's what you want," Eric waits for me to nod and then carefully lies down behind me after taking his boots off.

His hands slide up and down my back and it feels amazing.

"Oh, this is great, Eric. Thank you so much. I don't think I have said this enough over the past week."

"Anything for you," is Eric's new standard reply.

"We have to work on finding a better balance then," I moan when he hits a particularly sore spots. "Can you repeat that last move," I ask breathlessly.

"This one?" Eric hits that spot again.

"Oh, yeah," I moan, and he chuckles.

"Shut up and keep going," I demand.

"Yes ma'am," Eric states and gets to work.

"Do you have to go, or can you stay a bit longer?" I mumble when I am about to doze off.

"I can come back later, and we can sort through the presents," Eric offers.

"Okay," I yawn, "don't be too long!" I close my eyes. "Love y..." I garble while passing out.

…

Sometime later I am awoken by a strange noise. It is coming from the living room and I slowly get up to investigate.

What I see stops me in my tracks.

Eric is back, and he is arranging cables throughout the rooms.

"What are you doing," I ask, and Eric spins around.

"I didn't mean to wake you,' he sounds sheepish.

"It's okay, I didn't want to spend all day in bed or else I can't sleep tonight. What are you doing?" I repeat myself.

"Lisa said that music can have a calming effect on you and influence the babies positively," Eric admits. He avoids eye contact and his ears are tinted red. I am still astounded by his behaviour every time he shows his insecurities, which I seem to bring to light in abundance.

"Emilia granted me access to Erudite's music library when I asked. I, uh, doubt that the music we use at parties is the sort of calming noise Lisa had in mind," Eric mumbles the last one.

I walk over to hug him to me to show my thanks and appreciation. Because Eric is sitting down his head ends up close to the babies and he nuzzles his nose into my bump.

"Thank you," I kiss the top of his head, "I read that part in Lisa's book, but I honestly didn't think this far ahead." He really is amazing and often way ahead of me once he stops being overprotective.

"So, all the wires are for what?!" I look around a bit puzzled.

"The sound system I am going to install. I got the cables, and I will put up the speakers all around the apartment. Don't worry, you can switch them on and off individually when I am done," he looks at me like he expects some reprimands.

"Did you spend a lot of points," I ask carefully.

Eric laughs and shakes his head. "No, believe it or not, people in Dauntless have their own set up at home. This one is a mix of Zeke's old one that he had lying around since he moved in with Shauna, and Hana's. She is merging her things with Max's and gave it to me on her own accord when she overheard me talking to Zeke. All I did buy were some new connectors and longer cables," Eric looks at me expectantly, so I nod.

"Good!" He expels a big gust of air.

"Will you show me what you are doing," I ask, and Eric can't suppress the adorable smile gracing his face,

We spend the next thirty minutes setting up my new sound system and I am pleased that Eric takes the time to explain to me the ins and outs of the whole set up.

He is in the middle of showing me how to operate the remote control when my stomach rumbles rather loudly.

"Shit, Tris, why didn't you tell me you were hungry. It's already two o'clock," Eric admonishes, but I simply shrug.

"I wasn't hungry before now," I tell him honestly.

"Sit down and I will get lunch ready," Eric nudges me towards the dining table and I dig my heels in.

"I need to do things myself, Eric. I am not an invalid, I am pregnant," I state a bit too loudly.

"And you were unresponsive for six months," Eric replies.

"Together?" I try to negotiate and Eric smiles at me.

"It's already cooked. I just need to microwave it."

I raise an eyebrow.

"What?! The chefs were happy to contribute and prepared a lot of dishes that you can eat. Both of our freezers are full, and lunch is something they sent up with me when I did my rounds while you were sleeping."

"Fine, but I want to be allowed to do things myself," I grumble.

"And you will, but I also want to spoil you," Eric declares. "We agreed to date and work on progressing our relationship, that includes me treating you and you accepting graciously," Eric winks, and I snort.

"Just don't overdo it," I threaten, and he mock salutes.

True to his word Eric arrives a few minutes later with two steaming bowls of stew.

Over lunch we are talking about random things, but I am keen to know what Eric did while I was sleeping. After all, he said he was doing rounds. Turns out this is something new they started after the whole tracking serum fiasco.

Max, Hana and Eric agreed that leadership should be more approachable, and this means that they will just walk by all the different departments and check in with the members working at that time. It helped regain trust and the members like feeling valued when a leader pays attention to what they have to say.

It's all in the little things and even Eric admitted it was good for overall morale to get to know members better and learn about their private lives if they wanted to share. Surprisingly, they all did. May it be a child doing something great, a spouse getting a promotion or even some gossip about who hooked up or had broken up.

Leaders were now more or less considered to be one of them, and Eric proclaimed he still gets to scare initiates with his alter ego.

I was soaking everything he has to say up like a sponge. There is so much I have to learn and missed out on.

…

Once the dishes were cleared - I washed them, we tackled the gifts.

We decided to sort through mine first and then move on to those in Eric's apartment.

"How about we sort them into categories? Clothes, toiletries and diapers, and then toys," I suggest.

"Fine with me," Eric replies, and gets the two boxes we used to transport my things. "Toys in one, toiletries in the other and clothes piled on the bed?"

"Yeah, why not," I shrug, and we get to work.

A little while later I look at the full boxes and the still full bed. "This is not going to work, Eric, we have to find a different solution," I declare.

Eric looks around in contemplation.

"We could bring everything over to my apartment. I have a large dresser, wardrobe and a desk in my spare room," Eric offers.

"How big are we talking about?"

"Just come and have a look," Eric grabs my hand and helps me off the bed where I have been sitting since we started our endeavour.

Eric leads me over to 602 and motions for me to scan my hand after he uses his card. The door opens, and I am walking into an apartment set up as a mirror image to mine, meaning our kitchens and guest rooms are wall to wall.

I look around with a curiosity I am not hiding. Eric's apartment is minimalistic, but with more scrutiny you can see all those little things that show his Divergence. Minimalism is something you find in all Abnegation houses. The dark coloured furniture, weapons display and training equipment are homage to Dauntless and Erudite comes through in form of a large bookshelf.

"Would you like to see my bedroom as well?" Eric asks, and I choke on my own spit.

"Shit, Tris, why do I always put my foot in my mouth when around you," Eric bemoans, and my choking turns into a chuckle.

"We'll get there eventually," I declare with a giggle, and this time it is Eric's eyes that bug out and my turn to groan.

"Looks like we are a perfect match," I offhandedly state and regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Eric's face falls and I feel like crying for making him sad. We were both in such a good mood and I had to go drag up the injustices that brought us here.

I quickly walk over and hug him to me. It is awkward with my bump and the height difference, but I make do for now.

"Eric, if you had been allowed to be yourself, we might have been a couple months ago," I start off softly. "We are the same in so many ways, but I can not tell you what choices I would have made if everything had been out in the open. We will never know that, but we are here now, Eric, we click," I state boldly. "You had feelings for me for so long, but I am catching up fast," I admit with a blush, and of course he chooses that moment to look at me.

"We had an unconventional start," I continue. "Everything has been done backwards and we are both trying to stop the runaway train and not let it crash. But Eric, I choose to raise our children with you every single day since I learned about their existence. I choose to kiss you," I peck him on the lips. "I choose to hug you," I squeeze him a little harder. "I choose to be with YOU, no matter what. I don't know what would have happened with Tobias," I swallow hard. "I will never find out, but such is life. He could have been killed in a different way any other time. We are Dauntless, we put ourselves out there and risk getting hurt or even killed. We chose this life, and I find the possibility of not having a tomorrow makes me appreciate the present even more. Let's not waste our time on what if's. Tobias got killed, his murderer was executed, but you and I, we are alive. We are here now. We are going to be parents to two amazing boys before we know it. I am glad I get to know the real you, not the seemingly sadistic leader who finds pleasure in making life hell for us, and you will get a chance to know the real me, not the initiate that was hiding her divergence to save herself." I take a deep breath to calm myself before I continue my monologue. "We are so similar in many ways that loving you is almost too easy. Eric, I know you have feelings for me, and if I am honest with myself, I am more or less there with you. Just give my body and mind a little bit of time to catch up with my heart?"

Eric's embrace is almost painful, yet he takes care to not put pressure on our sons. "Anything you want, Tris. Ask and it is yours," he whispers, and then leans in to kiss me.

I moan into his mouth when his tongue finds mine. I am still amazed by the feelings he can elicit by doing this.

"Baby..." Eric moans, and I groan.

"We have to get the baby stuff sorted..." I remind both of us, mumbling against his moving lips.

"Okay... and then we go out to have dinner with our friends," Eric demands.

"We'll see," I hedge.

Eric grabs my hand and leads me into his spare room.

There is no bed, but the large dresser and wardrobe he talked about, together with a decently sized desk. I can see a ton of presents on a workout mat in the corner, piled ridiculously high.

"So you want to sort the gifts how," I query.

"We make three piles like we agreed and then we can put the clothes in the dresser, toys in the boxes and into the wardrobe, and toiletries on the desk," Eric suggests, and moves to detach a punching bag from where it is suspended from a hook in the middle of the room.

"Alright," I agree, and receive another kiss.

"I'll go get the presents. Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure," I could do with one.

"Have a look around the kitchen. There is water, juice and milk that I didn't bring over yet," Eric explains, and is gone before I can reply.

Eric's kitchen is well stocked, and I decide on a glass of orange juice. I can hear Eric return and leave again, and by the time I reach the kitchen door he is back with the second load.

"I have to get the boxes we already filled and then it's another armful or so," Eric huffs from the weight he is carrying.

I follow him into his spare room and gasp at the ever-increasing pile. Jesus. Did the members empty every single shop? Where do they even sell all these items?

"Pretty daunting, huh?" Eric speaks up from behind me.

"What?" I am not sure what he is referring to.

"The amount of stuff babies need, and we don't even have cribs set up or any other nursery furniture," Eric replies.

"Abnegation isn't as materialistic," I explain. "A lot of things have multiple purposes. Cribs are community property and once you don't need them anymore, they are returned to storage for the next couple to request. Babies are changed on the parent's bed, washed in a large bowl or the sink, and nursed in an already acquired chair. Even clothes are handed down and exchanged until they can't be mended anymore," I explain, and Eric looks at me wide eyed.

"What about diapers?" He looks rather worried.

"We do use diapers," I smirk at him, and he looks relieved until I add "cloth diapers."

"Aw, come on Tris, really? Don't you think we will have enough work with two babies at the same time?"

"We don't have to make a decision now," I relent. "I do think cloth is a good alternative and Abnegation parents pay a lot of attention to their children, learning all the signs of when they have to go which helps to toilet train them at an early age. My mother swears up to this day that Caleb was using the toilet on his own by the time he turned eighteen months. Apparently, it is easier for boys," I grumble, and Eric grins.

"That is quite obvious," he teases.

"You just wait until you have changed a few diapers," I try to hide the grin, "then you will be begging for a girl."

"If she will look just like you then I have no complaints," Eric smiles at me, completely missing the point and stunning me with his admission.

"You want more children," I ask, careful not to spoil the mood.

"As many as you want to give me," Eric states, and he is not prepared for the repercussions. I can feel the first tears roll down my cheeks and the sniffle turn into a sob faster than I ever imagined possible. Fucking hormones. God damn it! Motherfucking hell, make it stop! Shit, shit, shit...

Strong arms engulf me.

"Fuck, Tris..." I push my hand over Eric's mouth almost violently.

"Shut up! Fuck, I can't stop!" Eric's eyes widen and then soften. "Motherfucking Christ. Holy shit! This is getting worse. Why am I like this! Shit, don't answer, just cover your ears and hold me tight," I demand, and I can feel Eric's chuckle when he pulls me in close. I am soaking his t-shirt, but he doesn't say a word. He just holds me, rubs my back and makes soothing noises while I am forced to let the hormones wreak havoc and let my meltdown run its course.

It feels like hours later when I raise my snot covered face.

"I'll be right back," I voice carefully, and basically run to the bathroom.

After blowing and wiping my nose with toilet paper, and splashing my face with cold water, I check my reflection in the mirror. I look a mess, but there is nothing I can do about it.

With new resolve I leave the bathroom. Eric's bedroom door is open, and I can see him change his shirt in the mirror.

Hmm, look at all those muscles... yum, and then the naked skin, only covered with tattoos.

I can feel some tugging in my belly and look down, slightly disturbed. I must have made some sort of sound to garner Eric's attention.

"Are you okay, Tris," Eric rushes over with concern written all over his face. The fresh t-shirt dangles from his fist and I am looking straight at his marvellous chest.

"I am fine," I say while placing both hand on his naked skin. My hands run up to his shoulders and down his arms to his elbows before I move them towards his abs.

"Wow," I mumble while rubbing my thumbs over them.

"Fucking hell," I groan when I feel the indentations.

Eric is standing stock still, barely breathing, and looking at me like he has never seen me before.

Without conscious thought I bend my knees and run my lips over them.

"Tris," Eric groans, and cups my cheek, gently turning my face away from his skin. I nuzzle into his hand and straighten.

"I am sorry," I say quietly. "May I touch you?"

Eric nods, and eyes me curiously when my hands make contact with his abs again. I run my thumbs over them and then move my hands up to his pecs, spreading my fingers as I go. My palms are making contact with his nipples and I can feel the metal bars.

I flick one gently and Eric sucks in a gust of air.

"Isn't it dangerous to have those in a fight?" I am talking to myself and not expecting an answer.

"It could be," Eric admits.

"Then why get them if they put you at a disadvantage," I ask, rubbing all over his pebbled nipples, flicking the bar as I go.

"Tris, they are very sensitive," Eric warns. "And I got them after a particularly nasty meeting with Jeanine. I needed the pain to feel alive," he admits, and I can't help myself. I bend down and kiss each nipple before reaching up and pulling his head down so my lips can meet his.

"So you want to keep them as a reminder?" I try to sound neutral because I don't want him to feel like I am hoping for one over the other.

"Kind of..." Eric sounds like he never thought about it before and I don't want to push him.

"So, do you have any other hidden piercings or tattoos," I really want to know.

"Want to go explore?" Eric challenges.

"Maybe later?" I call his bluff.

"I am looking forward to it," Eric ups the ante.

"No more than I am. Will you leave the shirt off so I can keep looking?" What is wrong with me? I am flirting like hell and I really don't mind. Is this what Anna, Hana and mom have been talking about? Are those my hormones asking for satisfaction? Am I ready for sex?

Eric is talking and I look at him dumbly. "I am sorry, can you repeat that? My mind was wandering," I explain, and Eric looks rather smug.

"Wipe that grin off your face. I like looking at you, so sue me," I am getting pissed. Those mood changes really have it in them.

Eric raises his hands in defeat when he sees it is real and not mock anger. Hmmm, will you look at those corded muscles. And that tattoo... I want to lick my way through that maze. Shit, shit, shit. Time to go!

"Let's get back to sorting," I demand, and march ahead of Eric into the bedroom.

The whirlpool of emotions is a great energy generator, and I find myself digging deeper and deeper in the pile of presents.

I find it easiest to throw the clothes behind me and push everything else in Eric's hand to add to the other two piles so I don't have to get up.

When we are done with the preliminary sorting I am trying to stand up. The truth is, I simply can't.

"Oh god, my legs are asleep. This is going to hurt," I whine, and try to move my leg with my hands. "Oh god, pins and needles," I moan when the numbness recedes. "Oh my god, this hurts. Make it stop, Eric," I demand, and he looks at me like I have lost my marbles.

"How?" Is his eloquent reply.

"I don't fucking care how. You were raised in Erudite; you should know it all," I am getting angry again, but the feeling is still overpowered by the sting and itchiness in my legs.

"How about we look it up together," Eric diplomatically suggests. Bless him. "Come on, let's go for a walk so you can get the blood flow going properly," Eric offers me his arm and we slowly make our way to the door.

"Put your shirt on, Eric! I don't want other women to look at you," I blurt out and there is no way in hell he will let me take that one back.

"You are the only one I want to look at me that way, Tris," Eric promises with a shit eating grin.

"Good, keep it that way," I demand sassily.

"Yes ma'am."

I love it when he does that.

…

The feeling in my legs is getting better and better, but I insist on walking up and down our corridor until I am back to normal.

"Okay, lead the way," I offer, interested in where he wants to go.

"It's almost five, are you hungry," Eric enquirers.

"I could eat a bit, but I am fine for another hour or so. I prefer to be hungry," I try to explain my reasoning, and Eric nods.

"Okay, then we will do a round," he grins at me widely.

…

I walk beside Eric through the Pit and it feels like everyone is looking at us. They are not staring or anything like it, they make eye contact, smile and go their way. It is a bit surreal, but I am glad nobody stops us to ask awkward questions.

My smile is getting brighter when I see Eric leading us towards the tattoo parlour.

He opens the door and holds it for me, winking as I pass him.

"Tris," I hear, and then I am engulfed by thin arms.

"Tori, it is so good to see you. How have you been," I smile so brightly, I barely get the words out.

"Nah," she replies offhandedly, "getting there. Seeing a counsellor only helps with the base, but just like everyone else I am getting better," she admits without feeling self-conscious. "It is so good to see you, this is what really gives me hope," she explains. "Every single one of you guys waking up and returning is like a piece of my souls is given back to me."

And on cue the waterworks start. Eric is used to it, so it doesn't faze him as much as it used to, but Tori looks at me panicked.

"No, Tris, don't cry. It is a good thing! I feel like I am getting whole again, like I am almost back to being me," she hugs me while Eric just hands over some tissues.

I blow my nose noisily before I go back to crying some more.

"Tris, please stop, honey," Tori tries again.

"Tori, Tris is fine. It's the hormones wreaking havoc," Eric sounds so calm.

"Fucking hormones," I wail right on cue," I will have to hide in my apartment for the next years! How could my mom go through this more than once? Do you think she is hiding something from me? Eric, you would tell me if you think my mom is not telling me how to switch this shit off, wouldn't you?" I am growling by now and Tori is chuckling while Eric is wise enough to not respond at all.

"It's not funny," I growl at Tori. "This is pure horror, let me tell you. You don't know which way the shit blows and there is no way to brace yourself for the storm." I force myself to take a deep breath. "I don't want to have only two babies," I whine. "I want a whole house full, but not like this." I turn to Tori. "Do you have any idea how horny you can get? Or that the verbal filter completely disappears? Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to keep sucking on Eric's nipples while I played with his abs?" I choke out between new sobs. "I am still a fucking virgin, would you believe it," there is no stopping my mouth, even with my brain now screaming for me to stop.

Tori hugs me to her and gently guides me into the back room. I do notice all the people inside the shop when I walk right past them, but they are kind enough to look the other way and pretend they did not hear a word.

Once I am seated around the small table Tori wordlessly prepares me a cup of tea and hands Eric a mug full of coffee.

I lean over to sniff it appreciatively. "Tris," Eric says my name so gently that I do look up at him.

"I know, I am not going to ask for a sip, but I want to at least smell it," I state, and Tori chuckles.

"I am so glad to have you back, Tris. Life was dull without you around and now that you are back, I think we will have even more entertainment," she winks at me and I stick my tongue out. "Are you happy," Tori doesn't seem to care that Eric is sitting right here with us. He looks down into his cup and I put my hand in his.

"Yes, I am," I state. "It was a shock to learn about all that happened, and some things are still quite surreal, but I know what my future holds now and that is more than I knew six months ago." I take a deep breath because I know I have to start putting it all out there for everyone to acknowledge. "Tobias showed me how to survive in a city full of deception, nefarious plans and misguided ideologies. Eric is now showing me how to life my life in a city that was broken, in a faction that has been through hell, and he is trying to give me the life I always dreamed about. I think there is nothing else I can ask for," I explain, and squeeze Eric's hand.

Tori nods her head. "I think I get what you mean. Be thankful for those we were blessed with in the past, but appreciate the ones we have now even more because they are our future. We shouldn't live in the past, but never forget how we got here."

I nod. "Yes, and you have been able to say what I couldn't." I look at Eric who is staring straight at me. "I thought I was falling in love with Tobias, but I know for sure that I am falling in love the man Eric really is," I state boldly.

"Good," Tori nods, "you deserve it."

"We all do," I declare and both nod.

I am sipping my tea and thinking about something else I wanted to say.

"Tori," I softly gain her attention. "Did you ever find out if George was taken by Jeanine?"

Tori's eyes turn sad, and I think I know how she will answer before she even opens her mouth.

"Yes, Tris, George was one of them," Tori sighs, and I hug her.

"I am so sorry. It must feel like you lost him again," I state sombrely.

Tori grabs my hand. "Closure is a powerful thing, Tris," she squeezes my hand. "It saddens me to think what he must have gone through, but I am relieved to know for sure how and why he died." She pauses, "I got George's and Amar's ashes," she nods towards the shop.

"Out there," I enquire with wide eyes.

"They deserved the honour to be together and being remembered for who they were instead of just a number on Jeanine's list."

My stomach growls and Eric chuckles.

"Come on, Tris, time to feed the babies," he grins.

"Are you coming with us?" I turn to Tori.

"Sure, let me tell Bud and clean up my station real quick," Tori rushes out the door and I take Eric's hand.

"Who has Tobias' ashes?"

Eric swallows. "I do. The urn is together with my family's in a safe under my bed. Do you want me to get it out for you?"

"Maybe later? I... I think I like what Tori did and put it somewhere prominent," I declare and Eric nods.

"He'd hate it."

I chuckle. "Maybe, but all his secrets are out in the open now and so he should be as well."

…

Tori shouts for us to get our asses out into the shop, and together we head to the cafeteria.

It is as if our friends have been waiting for us. Zeke, Shauna, Christina, Will, Lynn and Marlene are all together at a table in the back. They are not eating but staring at the door, and when they see us enter their arms wave for us to join them as one.

Dinner is a lively affair and I did not expect to feel so emotional at seeing them all together like this. It seems so normal...

They are all good sports and take my emotional state with humour and a lot of teasing. It is easy to see that Eric did made amends and is now fully accepted by all of them. There is still so much that does feel surreal and I know it will take time to get used to all of it.

…

I am quite tired by the time we leave the cafeteria. Marlene said she had some boxes I could take, and Eric is tagging along to carry them.

"How are you doing, Marlene," I ask quietly when she lets us into her apartment.

"Missing Uriah," she shrugs her shoulders. "He is my best friend, but there is also ... more? We flirted, but we did not declare ourselves... I am kind of hoping we can continue down that path," Marlene looks at me expectantly.

"Maybe it is time to put the card on the table and put yourself out there? Life is too short and the future never certain. Just look at what happened to me," I am getting a bit choked up and Eric pulls my back against his strong chest.

Marlene looks contemplative. "What do I have to lose?"

"He is alive, and he will never stop being your friend," Eric joins the conversation.

"We'll see. Four days and he should be coming home," she brightens up again. "Come on, the boxes are over here," she opens a small door in the hallway and pulls out a stack of folded cardboard boxes.

"Thanks, Mar, they will come in handy. I never knew Dauntless had so many different options for baby gifts," I sound like a bitch, but I can't curb it.

"There is a shop that prints whatever you want on baby clothes," Marlene warns, and Eric groans.

I turn to him with a question written all over my face.

"Let's just say I saw some of the prints on our gifts," Eric hedges.

"Like what?"

"Daddy's drinking buddy; I drink until I pass out, things like that," Eric sounds a bit disturbed, so I am assuming there is more than he admits now.

"Well, we have to see what we have then," I hug Marlene and open the door for Eric. "Marlene, pop in any time you feel like it," I offer, and she agrees to do so.

…

I am eager to return to the task. Eric's reluctance makes me think I am about to find some treasures.

Once back inside I march straight into Eric's guest room.

"Okay, toiletries first," I declare, and start picking all the diapers out. "Will you put one box together? Actually, I think there is enough for a second one," I add as I proceed.

There are so many diapers that it feels we could supply the whole of Dauntless, but just a few of them are cloth, the rest are disposable ones which I grew up finding wasteful.

Eric lines up all the bottles of powder, oil, lotion and shampoo on the desk and has time to move on to towels and wash cloths before I am done.

"We will have to start making a list of what we actually need and store the rest, this is just too much. Do we know who gave us what?" I suddenly remember that we have to thank each member.

"No, most just dropped stuff off at the leadership office. I know which items we got from our friends," he growls the last part and it chuckle.

"Zeke?"

Eric sighs. "You'll see soon enough," he states ominously.

"You bet," I stick out my tongue and move on to the pile of clothes. "Will you sort the toys," I ask sweetly when I lower myself back down onto the floor.

"Sure," Eric eyes me for a moment longer. "Don't you think your legs will fall asleep again when you sit like that?"

"Do you have a better idea?" I look at him expectantly.

"I can put the pile on the couch, and you can fold the items on the table. This way you can easily get up and stretch every other minute."

Huh, not bad. "Okay," I accept, and get up.

We both take a load and bring it into the living area and Eric once more goes back to get the rest before leaving me to my task.

As I progress through the stacks of black clothes with white lettering, I come to understand what Eric meant about the phrases. Some are rude, some are funny, and some are just cringeworthy.

Milk, naps, rock & roll

* * *

Sorry Daddy (now you have 2 bosses)

* * *

\- Arm _ + _ Arm -

Come on Daddy you can do this!

\- Leg _ + _ Leg -

* * *

To do list:

x crap pants

x take nap

x suck some titties

* * *

My Daddy shoots better than your Daddy

* * *

And then it comes:

My Daddy got Stiff and my Mommy got me

* * *

"What the fuck," I exclaim rather loudly, and Eric comes running. He stops in his tracks when he sees what I am looking at and groans.

"That would be a Pedrad Original," he bemoans, and I cringe.

"Really? Zeke came up with that on his own?" My words are dripping with sarcasm.

"Hana was not much better," Eric warns, and I choke.

"Which one is hers?"

Eric looks through the pile and pulls one baby grow out.

"That was from Hana?" I can't believe it. Did she not realize how insensitive it is?

"I was Daddy's fastest swimmer" I read out loud.

"We will have to pay them back when the time is right," I declare. "Hana's wedding gift, for starters, then there is Christmas, birthdays..." I count off and Eric smirks.

"I like your way of thinking, maybe we can return the favour when Zeke and Shauna are expecting," Eric suggests, and I nod enthusiastically.

"Deal," I quip and kiss his cheek. "Come on, let's get finished. I am dying to go to bed," I add.

"Then let's call it a night. This won't get done on its own, Tris. There is plenty of time. Come on," Eric offer me his hand and pulls me up.

He is the perfect gentleman when he brings me back to my apartment and checks that everything is still as it should be.

"Sweet dreams, Tris. Good night," he kisses me chastely and then leaves.

What the fuck?

Getting ready for bed doesn't take long and soon I am sound asleep.


	13. Getting settled

**Chapter twelve**

**Tris POV**

The next morning my alarm blares and I slam my hand down to silence it. Ah, bliss!

As soon as that thought comes, the knocking on my door starts.

I scramble to get out of bed. "I am coming," I shout when I reach the living room and the knocking stops. I come to a halt right outside my door as sense kicks in.

"Who is it," I ask cautiously.

"Hana," comes the reply, "and I brought friends."

Okay...

I am smiling widely when I open the door and see not only Hana, but Christina, Marlene and Shauna.

"Good morning, what are you doing here? I did not miss anything, did I," I ask anxiously.

"No," Hana hugs me while walking past me and inside the apartment. "We thought we should take you clothes shopping before you start training," Christina explains with a hug.

"Of course," I chuckle darkly. "What else would I want to do?"

"You need the right clothes for training, Tris," Shauna admonishes, and my cheeks heat up.

"I have clothes," I state.

"Not maternity clothes," Shauna replies.

"Those fancy pajamas don't count," Hana adds, and my face feels like it's burning.

"Anna gave me her old maternity clothes. She even had them dyed black," I admit, and they all look at me like they never heard that before.

"Show me," Hana demands.

"You are not in charge?" I whisper to Christina when we follow after Hana.

"I thought Hana was right when she told me that I have never been pregnant and hence know shit about what makes you feel good," Christina replies with a shrug, and I chuckle.

"It's in the dresser," I tell Hana when I enter the bedroom and walk over to pull the top drawers open.

"Ooh, let's see what you've got," Hana is getting all excited. I fear she might be just like Christina when it comes to shopping.

Together they pull everything out and sort it on the bed that I quickly made.

…

"Well, the selection is not bad, but you can see that Anna is Erudite. You need more durable materials and more layers. Dauntless are underground or out in the open with the elements. Anna lived in a heated building with plenty of sun exposure and worked in the hospital. You can't compare those two, but she has great taste when it comes to looking sexy and seductive. Will you look at that," she holds the dress I tried at the hospital up for all to see.

"It feels amazing," I admit, and all four turn their heads to me.

"What? Anna made me try it on before Eric picked me up," I admit.

"If you get horny and Eric won't comply, put this one on," Hana tells me without even blinking.

"I don't even know if I want him to comply. I do feel attracted to him, yes, and I could barely stop myself from touching him everywhere, but what if that's only the hormones talking? What if I go all the way with him and then, when the babies are here, I find that there is nothing left?"

Hana just looks at me.

Christina and Shauna laugh outright while Marlene shakes her head.

"There is chemistry, believe me, Tris. Eric is one fine specimen. Maybe you should go back to Tori and ask her about yesterday," Hanna suggests, and I choke on my own spit.

"Oh god, you know about that?"

"Zeke observed it all from the control room and decided to make us a copy," Hana explains.

"Don't worry, he is currently sleeping on the couch in Lynn's apartment," Shauna's punishment for Zeke doesn't make me feel any better.

"Do you know who else saw it?"

"If Zeke is to be believed, just us, but I think he sent a copy to Uriah's tablet," Marlene giggles.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he finally can, Tris. We are more than happy for you to wake up and we want you to be able to share experiences with us now that you are able to hear and see," Hana has tears in her eyes and it makes me feel slightly bad, but not enough to stop my own from rolling down my cheeks.

"Now dry those tears and let's focus more on your apparent lack of sex life," Hana changes gear faster than anybody else I know. "We all heard you declare yourself a virgin who can't keep her hands off her man. There is nothing wrong with that, Tris. You need to learn to follow your body's guide. Yes, the hormones are going to wreak havoc, but it's not just pregnancy hormones we are talking about. You are sixteen years old and have a boyfriend that is nice to look at. How far did you go with Four, if you don't mind me asking," Hana looks at me expectantly.

"We didn't do much. We kissed, we touched, but that was it. He was still my trainer and I have a fear of intimacy... at least I had during my fear landscape. I like kissing Eric; I like touching Eric. God, when he changed his shirt and I stopped him before he could put a new one on, I just couldn't help myself. Those muscles feel amazing and he has his nipples pierced..." I trail off, and Marlene points to the corner of her mouth. I put my hand up, but there is nothing. Instead there is pearling laughter.

"No, Tris, you are not drooling yet, but you should be," Marlene guffaws.

"I still think my plan was great! Stick with it and you will know when you are ready," Hana throws in and this time the girls turn to her.

"What plan," Shauna asks.

"Oh, nothing much," Hana looks down at her nails and then polishes them on her sleeve, "I just suggested that Tris should ask Eric for a foot rub one day, the next for a back massage. Then she should move on to asking him for help with the oil I gifted her to prevent stretch marks. You know, let him rub it on her belly, then the next time she lets him help with her thighs also... and once she feels comfortable enough, he can help with rubbing it on her chest," Hana repeats her ideas.

"You are devious," Christina declares and bows down in front of Hana.

"Uh, do you think that will also work if I ask a guy if he wants a back rub?" Marlene asks, and I know exactly what she is thinking of.

"Honey, just drop some chocolate cake down your shirt and Uriah is all yours," Hana is on a roll here.

Shauna laughs out loud and we all turn to her. I see Hana wink, and I know this is going to be good.

"Do it, Marlene, it worked for me and Zeke," Shauna blows Hana a kiss.

"I repeat: you are devious," Christina compliments Hana.

"Why don't you go visit him in hospital and ask him if there is anything you can get him," I suggest. "Being there every single day sure helped with Eric. Update him on what has been going on and share what is on your mind. He will feel left behind due to having missed out on so much. If you include him, confide in him, then he will turn to you automatically," I suggest.

"Do it," Hana commands, and Marlene nods.

…

Marlene and Shauna start to talk about loving a Pedrad brother and wander off into the living room. Christina heads into the bathroom, and I take the opportunity to ask Hana for advice.

"Anna got me a gift, and I don't know what to do with it," I whisper, and wave Hana over to the nightstand. I open the drawer and nod my head for her to take a look.

"You know what this is," Hana asks, and I shrug. "It's called a bullet, Tris. It is like a small vibrator and you can use it to stimulate your erogenous zones. I am talking about your nipples and clit, and if you want to you can push it inside. Give it a try and ask me any questions you have." Hana offers before adding. "Or you can ask Eric... he does have plenty of experience with masturbation."

My face is hot, and I push the drawer closed.

"You will get used to it and the blushing will become less frequent," Hana sounds so kind, I want to show her I can do it.

"We'll see," I hedge, and we both join the girls in the living room when we hear Christina return.

"Let's shop," Hana orders, and we all head out to the Pit.

…

Hana has been a god sent. She made sure I had breakfast before we went into the first shop, and then she proceeded to give invaluable advice regarding materials and practicality. It made the whole experience so much easier, and I found myself having fun.

Marlene, Shauna and Christina found plenty clothes for themselves, but Hana held back. After stopping for a mid-morning snack, Hana announced it was time to have a look at dresses. Turns out she had no idea what she wanted in a wedding dress and we were allowed to roam and explore the whole shop.

"Tris, come look at this one," Christina suddenly shouts through the shop we are currently in. I look at what she is holding up and my breath hitches.

"Wow," is all I can get out.

"You have to try this on," Christina insists while walking closer with an absolute dream of a dress. It is black and nude on top with hundreds of black birds in flights. The black of the birds takes over and the dress turns really dark towards the middle before the birds disperse and make some more space for a whitish fabric on the bottom.

"It so matches your tattoo," Christina thrusts the dress into my arms and walks me to the dressing room.

"Christina, I doubt it will fit over my bump," I weakly complain, but she just huffs. "Put it on but don't close the zipper," is all she says.

I can't help myself, I am drawn to this dress, and before I know it I am staring at myself in the mirror.

"Come out," Christina demands when I am silent and standing still.

The curtain opens and two strong hands lead me out into the open shop.

"It is absolutely perfect for you! You have to buy it," Christina demands, and I nod.

"No, I can't," I state the opposite of what I want, "I have so save my points. Babies don't come cheap," I declare.

"Tris, if you don't buy this dress, I will tell Eric and make him buy it for you," Christina threatens, and I groan.

"Are you okay, Tris... oh my god, that is just perfect for you! Buy it," Shauna joins us, followed by Marlene and Hana.

"She says she has to save her points for the babies," Christina tells on me.

"Nonsense, you have six months' worth of points as a leader saved up in your account and I doubt you touched many of the points you were given throughout initiation," Hana throws her five cents in. "And you have more baby stuff than any sane person needs," she adds, and she's got me there.

"But it is impractical. When am I supposed to wear this?" I look down at the amazing dress.

"Your wedding," Hana suggests, and I look up startled.

"Uh, what," I stammer out.

Christina snorts. "I never thought I would say this, but Tris, I think you will end up marrying Eric."

"But not yet," I object.

"It doesn't matter when, this dress is perfect for you and the waist is so high, it can easily be adjusted to whichever stage of pregnancy you find yourself in. Come on, Tris, I still owe you a graduation gift. I will pay part of it," Hana takes my hand and leads me to the till amid my protests. "Shush, your mom was my best friend growing up, and I like to think I would have been your godmother had she stayed. Let me treat my best friend's daughter and pay for a small part of the dress," Hana looks at me so sweetly I can't deny her.

Of course she ends up paying for more than a small part, but I learned my lesson and stay quiet.

Hana did eventually find a dress she liked, and we drop all the shopping in our respective apartments before heading to the cafeteria for a late lunch.

"Oh my god, my feet are killing me," I moan out when we finally sit down at an almost empty table.

"Stay seated, I'll get your food," Hana pushes me back down onto the chair when I try to rise again.

Before I know it a bowl of soup, bread and fresh fruit are placed in front of me, and I dig in.

…

"Gosh, that was good," I state when I am done.

We sit and chat for a bit, but I am feeling rather tired and excuse myself to go and have a nap.

Hana walks me home and we chat about being pregnant in Dauntless. Seems there are more challenges awaiting me. Narrow paths, stairs and gravity defying bellies.

"One more piece of advice, Tris," Hana waits for me to look at her from where I am standing in my open door. "Hot baths! Have as many as Lisa will allow," Hana advises and turns away.

"Thank you," I shout after her and the sound of my voice draws out Eric from his hiding space. His apartment door opens, and he pokes his head out.

"Hey, you are back," he greets me, and I wave tiredly.

"Yes, shopping is all done, and I am going for a nap. My feet are killing me," I admit.

"Want me to rub them for you?" Eric offers, and I nod.

"If you don't mind me falling asleep in the middle of it, I would love to have one," I admit while trying to suppress a yawn rather unsuccessfully.

Eric follows me into my bedroom, and I can see him eye the shopping bags, but he doesn't ask. He simply follows me to the bed and takes me into his arms.

"I missed my favourite people in this world," he simply states, and rubs my belly while kissing me softly on my lips.

"Hm, this is nice," I compliment.

"Come on," Eric kicks his boots off and removes my shoes and socks.

"I got some cream," I mumble, and get off the bed to dig through the bags. I am careful to pull out the right tub or it could get embarrassing. "Here, I was told this is 'foot butter'," I hand over the tub and Eric opens it.

He dips his finger in and rubs his thumb over the whitish mass. "The heat makes it smooth," he states and then takes some more.

"Lie down, Tris," Eric instructs and pulls one foot into his lap. His strong hands are sure and steady when he rubs the fat into my soles. The pressure is fantastic, and I am moaning and groaning in pleasure.

I know I am close to falling asleep, but I want to make sure Eric will be here when I wake up. "Will you stay with me?" I ask, and of course he won't deny me.

"For as long as you want me to," is his simple reply.

I get comfortable on the bed and arrange Eric to lie behind me.

I am just pulling his arm around me to rest on my bump when I feel a slight pressure on my lower back. I wriggle a bit to get more comfortable and Eric groans.

"You okay..." I manage out amidst another yawn.

"Don't worry about me," and he pulls me even closer to his chest. The heat he emits is soothing my sore back, and I fall asleep in no time at all.

…

I am awoken less gentle or peaceful sometime later. Eric is moaning and groaning behind me, but it doesn't sound like anything pleasant. He is trashing a bit, and I presume this is what woke me.

"No," he groans out, but doesn't wake up. His face contorts and I can see a few tears run down the side of his face and soak into the pillow.

"Don't hurt them," he sounds like he is pleading now.

"Kill me instead."

Now I feel like crying myself. What is he dreaming about?

"I swear you can do whatever you want with me. Just leave Tris and my babies alone," Eric begs, and I have reached my limit.

I heard once that you have to be careful when you wake someone up from a nightmare, so I just whisper his name.

"Eric," I pause. "Eric, it's all good. I am fine and so are our boys, don't you worry about us!"

To my surprise the whimpering and thrashing stops and Eric's features even out.

I am awake now and not sure what I should do. Will I cuddle into him or will I get up?

My bladder answers this for me and I head into the bathroom.

While washing my hands I look in the mirror and remember that Hana told me this is a cabinet where she put the stretchmark oil.

Curiosity gets the better of me and I open it up. Hana was modest when she told me she got me some, there are three bottles. I take the oil out and read the instructions on the back.

Twice daily? This is something I will have to add to my minuscule routine.

I walk back into the bedroom with the bottle still in my hand and see Eric woke up.

He looks at me sleepily, and I have to smile at how relaxed he now seems.

"Come here," he opens his arms, and I move into them willingly.

His embrace is tight, but not hurtful, and I snuggle into his side.

"Are you okay," he asks me.

"Yes, are you?"

Eric stills. "You know I had a nightmare?"

"Yes, but my voice seemed to calm you," I admit.

"I," I can feel Eric swallow hard, "always talked to you when I had one," he admits, and I nod, because mom told me about this.

"Then tell me about it," I encourage.

"It's not pretty," he warns.

"Which nightmare is?" I reply.

"Jeanine was back. This time she did not threat my parents and little brother... she threatened you and our children. I offered to trade places, have her experiment and do whatever she pleases with me if she would let you go. Of course that bitch was having none of it. She..." Eric takes shuddering breath, "she plunged a syringe with god knows what into your neck and you just fell down lifelessly. Instead of Jeanine moving on to our babies as she would do normally, you told me that all was good and it kind of faded to black. I woke up soon after, I think," Eric adds, and I snuggle into him harder. His arms pull me in tight until he suddenly groans.

"What do you have in your hand, Tris?"

"What? Oh, I am so sorry, I forgot I was holding this," I move my hand and hold up the bottle of oil for him to see.

"Is that any good?" Eric wants to know.

"I have no idea. Hana gave it to me, so I would assume it does something," I state. "Here," I thrust the bottle at his chest, "put some on my belly if you want," I offer.

The ball is in his court now and I am curious to see what he will do.

…

Eric doesn't say a word when he rises to his knees.

"Will you lift your shirt for me," he asks me sweetly.

"I am too lazy, why don't you do it for me?" I offer him another carrot, and he takes it.

Eric moves so he is kneeling over my thighs. His hands are gentle when they grab the hem of my shirt, and he pushes the fabric up slowly. When he reaches my breasts, he tugs the shirt in around the sides.

He grabs the bottle, and just like me he takes the time to read the instructions on the back. He gently shakes the contents and pours a small amount into his palm before he moves it to hover over my belly button. Ever so slowly he turns his hand and the oil runs down. He catches it and proceeds to spread it all over my belly with slow and calculated movements.

I close my eyes to evaluate how I am feeling. I am not bothered at all by the contact. It is intimate, yes, but it feels nice, and I can feel my body relax into the mattress.

"This has to be done twice a day, Tris," Eric lets me know when he slows down.

"I know. Are you volunteering," I ask light heartedly.

"I don't mind," Eric admits.

"Good, because I would like that. Maybe we can do that every evening," I suggest.

"That sounds good," he replies.

"Thank you," I tell him with meaning.

"No, Tris, thank you! You are giving me a chance I did not deserve, and I will be forever grateful for it."

I sit up slightly and lean back on my elbows, because Eric is still on top of my thighs.

"You deserve a chance to show me your true self, Eric. You were forced to hide who you are for over two years. You did what you had to, and I doubt I would have acted differently had I been in your shoes," I admit.

Something else pops into my mind, and of course I am blurting it out without second thought. At least I stopped crying and acting irrational.

"What do Dauntless do on a date?"

Eric scratches his head. "I doubt anything we would be able to do together," he mutters.

"What is that supposed to mean," I demand to know.

"They drink, they dance, they take a train ride, they fuck in a dark corner..." Eric lists off, and I cringe.

"How many dates have you been on," I do want to know, and then I don't. This is confusing!

"Not many," Eric admits, but it is not what I really want to know. Okay, time to just get over myself.

"Okay, let me rephrase it. How many times have you fucked in a dark corner?" I am using his own words, but it still smarts.

"What? No, Tris. I went out for drinks with some girls, I danced with a few, but that was it," Eric looks a bit disturbed.

"Right," I quip, and Eric stares at me.

"Tris, I never felt I was free to be myself; dating was the furthest thing on my mind. If I would have shown interest in a woman, Jeanine would have used her against me just like anyone else I got attached to. I went out for drinks with some girls who asked me out on their own accord, and during parties I danced with some others. Do you really think I could be interested in a girl if she pretends to like the disgusting persona I created?" Eric sounds offended, and I don't blame him one bit. The way he explains it makes total sense to me.

"I am sorry. You are right, I did not think about it that way. I see the way you are now, and I mistakenly transferred it to the past," I admit, and Eric's face softens.

"You are the only one I ever wanted to be with, and it was killing me to have to pretend with you as well," Eric leans forward and kisses me softly before sitting up again.

There is something else I am dying to know, but there is no way I can ask that question.

"I can see the wheels turning, Tris," Eric states.

He doesn't elaborate, and I stay quiet. I have embarrassed myself enough for one day, thank you very much.

Eric gently puts his hands back on my tummy and rubs in soothing circles all over it.

"I know you have no experience with sex, Tris," Eric's quiet voice startles me out of my trance.

I close my eyes and groan.

"I don't have much either," he admits, and I open my eyes to look at him again.

"I never had sex," he continues, and I am surprised, but then not so much when I think about what he told me just a minute ago.

"I know how to kiss a girl, and I certainly know how to masturbate... I know all the mechanics, I paid attention in school and I conducted my own research," he grins at that, and I am keen on finding out what exactly he means.

"I have to confess something, Tris..." I am all ears. "All the samples Anthony asked for..."

I nod for him to go on.

"I, shit, why is this so hard?" Eric takes a deep breath. "I was thinking about you, okay? Every single time I needed to do this you were on my mind. I felt bad about it afterwards, but still, you were the only thing that got me going. So, when I think about our boys, I know that at least part of their creation was because of how much you mean to me..." Eric trails off and I am stunned speechless.

I honestly don't know what to say to that. What does he expect me to say? What does he need to hear?

"I am sorry you had no say in the whole process, but I can't say that I wish our children would never have been conceived. It would have been nice to have them created out of an act of love, but that doesn't prevent me from loving them," Eric rambles on, and I think I should just let him get it all out now. He feels like he has to clear the air between us, and listening is the least I can do for him.

"I feel like you have been cheated out of so much that I need to make up for it," Eric continues once more. "I like the idea of dating you, and I hope that you are willing to work on overcoming your own fears with me, to let me help you. Knowing you are alive helped me get through those last months, and I need to return the favour. I don't want to push you when you are not ready, Tris, but you need be honest with me. I know everyone is talking about hormones and being horny, but I want you to know that I want to help you. No strings attached. If you have questions, ask me. If you have feelings, talk to me about them. There are so many different ways we can bond and being physical is just one of many. I don't want you to wake up one day and regret ... us," Eric trails off, and I wait a moment to see if he is finished.

Eric doesn't look at me, and I am sure he thinks that he overstepped or misspoke once more.

"Eric?" I softly call his name, and he finally looks up, but doesn't meet my eyes.

"I know you know about my fear of intimacy," I start out and then pause to collect my thoughts.

"I had some time to think about it, and I feel it is more a fear of the unknown and breaking all the teachings I grew up with. Intimacy was not something to be desired in Abnegation. It was not talked about and not supposed to be thought about. They even curbed these aspects of our education in school. Have you ever noticed that they do these classes separate for each faction?"

I can see I caught Eric off guard, seems he really did not know.

"I am sure the Erudite class was very specific and full of details, and the Candor class brutally honest, but the Abnegation class," I shudder just thinking about it," they were focused on putting fear in us. I am curious, thanks to my aptitude for Erudite, but they managed to disturb even me in a way that I never wanted to find out more."

Eric looks at me wide eyed, and I think he finally grasps how fucked up some factions are in their attempt to preserve their way of life.

"Basically the whole class was about how to curb those unwanted desires, and as far as teaching us biology goes, they referred us to what our parents are supposed to tell us just before our wedding and nothing else."

"Evelyn counted on all this to make her revenge work," Eric speaks up.

"I would assume so," I admit, "but don't forget that I am not just Abnegation. I am Dauntless and I am Erudite. I am still curious, and I am still brave. I like to think about ways to work past my shortcomings," Eric huffs at my use of such a word, "and I think I know what we need to do if you are willing."

Eric nods vehemently.

"Hana thinks we should use the stretchmark oil to get me used to your touch," Eric raises his eyebrow, but the look he gives me is one of doubt.

I chuckle. "Hear me out," I demand. "Hana suggested it as a way to get over my fear and seduce you if I should get too horny for my own good," Eric swallows hard. "I don't want to deceive you, and I want to build an equal partnership, so I am trying to be upfront, okay?" He nods and I continue. "Hana suggested you put the oil on my bump every day, this helps with the stretch marks, the bonding, and also gets me used to your touch. I need to have my thighs and chest covered as well," I can feel the heat rise, "and we can progress at my pace with that. What do you think?"

I honestly want to know Eric's opinion.

"I can't say I am not getting excited by the idea, but you have to set boundaries, or I will inadvertently cross them without knowing," Eric admits.

"Okay," I simply state. "But you have to do the same with me. I don't want to torture you or make you feel miserable. If it gets too much for you, I need to know."

Eric laughs so hard the whole bed shakes.

"Tris, don't worry about me. I have been wanking off more times than I care to admit," he throws out there, and I am once more stunned at how easy it is for him to talk like this.

"Come on, let's get something to eat and then we need to plan what we want to do for our dates. Your training starts tomorrow, and I want to set clear boundaries for work and private life," Eric lets me know, and once more I am so glad he is thinking ahead.

"Okay, where do you want to eat?" I am giving him the choice here.

"Let's eat here and we can plan without everyone listening in on us," Eric suggests.

So true.

…

So, while we eat some pasta dish with a lot of vegetables, we create a list of things we want to do together.

In the end it sounds so simple.

We will go explore the compound together. We will use those days that we need to travel out of Dauntless and have the use of a car to see friends and family in other factions, if Max lets us, and finally, we will try to broaden our knowledge together. For this one we simply agreed to learn more about how the three factions we have aptitudes for work. We will teach each other what we know, and learn together what we want to know that's new to both of us.

For Eric, it is important to learn the ways of Abnegation so he will gain a better understanding of how I grew up and the principles that I still struggle with to overcome.

For me personally, I am looking forward to asking Eric about all the things I always wanted to know about. When it comes to Dauntless, Eric may be ahead of me, but he surely doesn't know it all for which he gives me the example of the retirement home that almost nobody knows about, or how close knit the Dauntless stay even after they transfer out.

…

When Eric gets up to leave, I suddenly remember that we haven't touched the presents today, but he just grins and tells we will do it another time and that sleep will be more important for what's going to happen come morning.

I don't know if he is teasing or trying to scare me, but I know for sure it is not working. I am ready for whatever he will throw at me.


	14. Moving on

Chapter thirteen

**Tris POV**

True to his word Eric tries to revert back to the tough leader he wants to be in the eyes of the faction, but I have gotten to know him well enough to be able to ignore his scary face.

He is not happy but proceeds with his training, and I am glad he is trying so hard for my benefit. We make good progress and Eric doesn't hold back the criticism which luckily is not too much.

I might have lost some muscles, but my brain is working just fine.

The only concession Eric makes for me is a longer lunch break which we spend together. We eat in the cafeteria and then Eric drops me off at my apartment for a nap while he works an hour or two in the office. Thanks to my naps we always finish later than usual for the day and have a simple dinner either in my apartment or his, followed by some lively discussions before Eric helps me with my nightly routine of putting the oil on my bump.

…

We still haven't progressed past kisses and oil on my belly, but now, a week in, I am ready for him to move on to the next stage.

As usual, I am lying propped up on a pillow on my bed and Eric is kneeling over my legs. He is just about to open the oil when I clear my throat loudly.

"Will you put some oil on my thighs as well?" I try to make it sound like it is no big deal, but Eric's sudden stillness lets me know he is aware of what this means.

"Are you sure," he asks, and I nod. "I need to take your pants off..." Eric looks beneath him at the black pants I am wearing and moves down on the bed.

"May I?" He nods towards my pants and I smile.

"Please," I try to lift my hips and Eric looses no time to pull my pants down.

I feel naked and exposed, but I am not scared. I know Eric loves me and he will put my pants back on me whenever I ask him to.

"Where do you want the oil first?" Eric brings me back to the present.

Oh, I did not think about that.

"Maybe work your way up? I don't know. We will have to see," I am rambling.

"Relax, Tris, if it's too much or too soon just say the word and I stop," Eric soothes, and runs his oil covered hands from my ankles up to my knees.

"The thighs, Eric," I chuckle, and he grins at me.

"I know, but it doesn't hurt," he replies.

I am used to foot rubs, so going from my ankles to my knees is just a logical step.

I close my eyes, intent to just enjoy the massage Eric provides me with.

I can feel his hands move past my knees, but I am not bothered anymore, and when he finally runs his hands from my ankles all the way to my panties I am too relaxed to even think about the fact that Abnegation would want me to feel bothered.

All too soon Eric moves on to my belly, and I actually groan in protest.

"I can go back down there once I am done up here," he whispers, and I nod without opening my eyes.

Why did I wait so long? I keep wondering over and over, and completely miss the point where Eric's hands return to my legs.

"Time to sleep, Tris," I hear, and I just sigh and cuddle into the blanket that covers me. I don't hear Eric leave.

…

"Do you want to spar, Tris?" Uriah asks me when I walk into the gym the next morning. "Oh no, I forgot, never mind." He grins at me cheekily, "three against one is a sign of cowardice."

Oh no, he didn't!

"Uriah?"

"Yes, Trissy?" He looks at me innocently.

"Uh, you got a little something..." I point to my own chin. "Right there... looks like chocolate," I state and then laugh at his face. Yes, asshole, you did not know I know about it.

"Touché," he grins at me. "Come on, I will warm up with you."

Together we stretch and then start a slow jog around the gym.

Uriah came home three days ago, full of energy and ready to get started, so we are now on his second day of training. Marlene wasted no time at all and now they are together, like officially dating and whatever that entails for them.

Eric enjoys teaching both of us together because he doesn't have to worry about hurting Uriah when he demonstrates a new move.

I never realized how basic the training during initiation was. For me it was already an uphill battle, and this is nothing but a steep hill I have to crawl up on all fours.

So far, we have covered self-defence and evasive manoeuvres. Eric got the shooting out of the way first thing as he claimed the sooner we are done, the less harm for our babies' ears.

I know Lisa told him what was okay and what not, but the father in him was worried and I felt the same even though I did not admit to it.

I now know every weapon we have in Dauntless, how it works and how to shoot with it. We will tackle the mechanics at a later time when I am not physically restricted.

Because of my inability to spar the physical part is progressing rapidly and it feels weird that we are just about done with it. I am looking forward to refreshing everything once the babies are born.

"When you have finished ten rounds you can stop," Eric's shout brings me back to the present.

I make sure to look right at him every time we pass. He looks good today, dressed for some serious workout with Uriah while I am only allowed to observe. The muscle shirt highlights his, well, muscles and tattoos while the sweatpants seem rather snug.

Focus, Tris, focus. This is training, you can always ask Eric to wear it for your date night. Oh yes, that would be great. Maybe he has some shorts to go with the top?

No sooner have I processed that thought I do see Eric stripping off his pants after his own warm up session, and he is now wearing shorts and the muscle shirt. Will you look at those legs?

Crap, I think we need to talk about hormones again. Mine seem to be going into overdrive. Crap!

"And done," Uriah exclaims, and I am grateful for my running buddy as I lost count as soon as Eric walked into view.

I walk another round to keep my muscles nice and loose and walk over to the mat for stretches. Eric has me on a softer workout routine than Uriah, but I know this time he is just following doctor's orders. I have a lot of stretching and muscle work and when Eric teaches something new, I am only learning the motions and how to add it into the sequences.

So, while I am practicing and improving my arm and leg work, Eric and Uriah get into the ring.

Of course I am getting distracted, and I would not be able to tell you what exactly I did, but I could paint Eric's muscles with my eyes closed.

Before I know it, Eric calls for a break, and I greedily gulp down the water I brought.

Uriah runs off to use the restroom, and Eric walks closer.

"Are you okay?" He doesn't raise his voice even though we both know that Uriah wouldn't mind.

"Yes," I state, and look at him quizzically.

"You seemed distracted," Eric tries again, and I cringe without meaning to.

"Then maybe you should dress less enticingly," I return, and I did not mean to sound so testily.

Eric just grins at me. "Do we need to re-evaluate our agreement?" He means to tease, but I think it might be a very good idea.

"That might be good, yes," I admit, and Eric takes a step back to look at me like he has never seen me before.

"Don't tease," he pleads.

"I am not," I simply state, and Uriah's return means we will have to postpone our conversation for tonight, just like we are supposed to.

…

When training is done, Eric wastes no time and shouts our goodbyes to Uriah before dragging me back to our floor.

"Yours or mine," is the only thing he says while walking out of the elevator.

"Yours," I state, for we agreed he'd defrost dinner.

The door is not fully closed behind my back, and I am in Eric's arms and his mouth is on mine.

Wow, I love the urgency, it adds a little something to our kiss.

Eric backs me up into the door, and I sneak my arms around his neck and pull him in close.

"What do you want," Eric murmurs against my lips.

"You," I state boldly, but Eric stops kissing me and drags me to the couch where he gently pushes me into one corner and then proceeds to take the opposite end, too far away for my liking.

"What are you doing?" I look pointedly down and then over to where he is sitting so far away.

"Making sure we are thinking things through," Eric groans and rubs his chin and cheeks with his hands.

"Okay," I reply, and Eric just looks at me expectantly.

"What," I am a bit clueless as to what he wants now.

"You wanted to re-evaluate," Eric reminds me, and I groan.

"Yes, kind of, shit, I don't know. I loved your hands on my thighs yesterday," I pause to gather my thoughts. "I liked looking at yours today, and I felt like I should be able to return the favour." I look at him to see his reaction, but his face is a carefully crafted blank canvas.

"What I was thinking about is that we should not just work on me getting used to your touch, but also me getting used to touching you. I wanted to touch you so badly, and I could not think about anything else. It had me distracted and that is not good," I add.

"So, you want to touch me, Tris?" Eric smirks. "I never said you couldn't, it was always up to you to want it," he admits, and now I feel rather silly.

"Why did you never offer," I ask.

"Because I need you to touch me because YOU want to and not because you think I want you to," Eric explains and knowing him it was the only way it sounded right.

"How long have you wanted me to touch you," I change my question around.

"Since you chose Dauntless," Eric is brutally honest, but that's what I like about him.

"Okay," what else can I say. "I want to touch you, Eric. May I?" Gosh, that sounded corny, but Eric doesn't seem to care. His smile is brilliant and infectious.

"Not at all, Tris, but we still need to talk about boundaries," Eric is firmly planted in his corner.

"Yours or mine," I am still curious.

"My boundaries are your comfort zone. If want you whichever way you allow," Eric doesn't help much, but I know why.

I want to explore your body, I want to find out how your muscles feel, I want to lick that damned maze on your forearm, and I want you to show me what makes you feel good."

"That sounds almost like a loaded question," Eric sighs, and I shrug.

"I want to learn all I can about your body for our date tonight," I issue the ultimate challenge.

"Okay," Eric expels a heavy gust of air. "Dinner?"

"I could eat," I state, and Eric chuckles.

"You are eating for three, Tris, and your muscles are coming back. It was a rhetoric question."

"Yet you waited for me to answer," I stick out my tongue and get up to walk into the kitchen. Eric hurries after me and grabs my hand, turning me back to him.

"I love you," he pecks me on the mouth.

"I love you too," I reply while looking him straight in the eye.

"Good," he nods and kisses me once more. He puts all his feelings into the kiss, and I am melting against him.

"Dinner," he reminds me without detaching his lips.

I take a step back and move over to the fridge to check what he defrosted for us. "Fish," I groan upon seeing the label.

"It's good for you," Eric insists.

"Yes, but it doesn't mean I want to eat it all the time.

Eric heats the oven and prepares the salmon while I chop the potatoes and vegetables. We chitchat about Uriah and our friends and it seems like no time has passed when dinner is suddenly on the table.

Contrary to what I sounded like, I am devouring my dinner, moaning and groaning in delight as I work my way to the bottom of the plate.

"That was good," I admit when nothing is left on my plate.

"Do you want more," Eric asks.

"God, no. That was more than enough," I groan and rub my tummy.

"All good," Eric asks, and I smile.

"It's just a habit I can't get rid of," I admit and earn a grin in return.

Eric insists that I stay seated while he cleans up and I enjoy watching him move around the kitchen. Yes, I learned to accept that I can sit back and watch others work , even if I am capable of doing it myself.

Eric grabs my hands and helps me up.

"Living room?" Eric doesn't meet my eyes, but I know he is hoping I haven't changed my mind.

"I thought we can move to your bedroom," I boldly request.

"If that's what you want, Tris. This is your show. Tell me what you want," Eric wants guidance, and I am not sure I can give it to him.

"Yes, I want to cuddle with you for a bit and then I want to explore," I admit.

Eric leads me into the bedroom, and we sit down on the bed together.

This is awkward because we made it this way.

"Hug me," I demand, and Eric's arms surround me immediately.

I snuggle into him and push his torso to let him know I want him to lie back. Of course he caters to my wish and we end up with Eric on his back and me snuggled into his side.

This is so not what I want, and I move up until my lips can reach his. I am not asking for permission, and I think I gave him plenty of warning through my actions before I crash my lips to his. Eric responds in kind and his arms move around me and pull me in close.

Yes, this is what I have been craving all day! This kiss is different than the one we shared by the entrance. This is a non-verbal confirmation of our love and commitment for each other mixed with a good bit of lust. I move around to accommodate my bump, and Eric makes sure we never break our kiss. I end up kneeling on all fours on top of Eric, and as I lower my body to not strain my muscles too much after today's workout, I find myself enjoying the way my breasts and bump rest on top of Eric's torso.

We spend an eternity kissing like this, Eric holding me tight while I rest atop of him.

Eventually we come up for air, and I proceed to kiss and nibble my way down Eric's neck. I can feel the harsh breaths he is taking, and it spurns me on.

I move further down, and when my thighs are parallel to his I plant my ass firmly down.

I grab the hem of his shirt and push slightly upwards while demanding "off!"

There are no objections and within seconds the shirt lands on the floor beside us.

I am staring at the masterpiece that is Eric's chest. God, how I missed these abs and pecs. Hello my lovelies.

Without conscious thought my hands run up and down his abs and then up to his pecs. Suddenly I notice a difference to last time.

"You took your piercings out," I exclaim.

Eric looks a bit startled, and I have to repeat myself before he finally answers.

"I thought it was time to let go of the past. I don't want to carry a constant reminder of Jeanine's cruelty on my body. It's not like they were battle scars to proof I survived her tyranny," he admits, and I nod to show I understand.

To show my support, I bend down and run my lips all over his nipples. They are rock hard pebbles and the feeling against my lips is intoxicating. I suck on one and Eric's back arches while he groans.

I can't suppress the smirks and of course he sees it. "Tris," is the only thing he says with a slight warning in his voice.

I move back down to his abs and run my hands over them repeatedly before his maze tattoo catches my eye again.

I trace one finger along the lines, following the path into the maze all the way to the Dauntless flames and then I move on upwards. I can feel Eric's skin pebble when my actions cause goose-bumps to appear on his flesh.

I love it, but there is something I repeatedly said I wanted to do and it's now or never.

I move back down to his wrist, put my hand in his to hold him still and stick out my tongue.

Just as expected Eric tries to move his arm away, but my strong hold on his hand makes him stop almost immediately.

"Tris," he moans. It's not clear whether in delight or warning, but I just don't care. His skin tastes salty from the sweat he accumulated during his workout, and I am trying to find out if I like the flavour or if I should ask him to shower.

I delay that decision by moving my head slightly and running my nose over his skin instead. Yeah, definitely better. I can feel my lips stretch into a smile.

Eric lies stock still and lets me explore once more.

Finally satisfied that I will find my way through the maze blindfolded, I run my nose upwards until I meet the pulse point on Eric's neck. I run my nose over it twice and then use my lips to suck on the skin. I can see I left a mark and it only enhances the feeling of power I have over Eric's body.

"Thank you," I kiss his lips again and move up to be more comfortable.

This time, when I sit back down after detaching our lips, I end up on his abs, but that just won't do, so I move back down a bit more.

I can feel it the same time as Eric moans my name.

Decisions, decision.

"Can I see?"

Eric's head shoots up, and he groans while clutching the back of his neck.

"Can I see," I repeat, and Eric nods.

I slowly move back down until I am sitting just below his knees.

My hands shake slightly when I move them to open the ties on his sweatpants.

I succeed and push my thumbs inside to pull them down. When I realize I forgot that he is wearing shorts underneath I pull his pants off faster.

I take my time to stare at his long legs and well-defined muscles. His thighs are massive, and I can't keep my hands to myself once again.

Just like Eric did with me, I am starting at the ankles and work my way up to the top. The coarse hair is different than what I expected it to feel like, and of course I am running my fingertips through them.

Seems Eric is more ticklish than he previously admitted to, and I get a few laughs out of how he wriggles away from time to time.

"This is nice," I state, and Eric gives me a relieved smile. As if I would do this without really wanting to. Silly man.

Eric's erection is more prominent with just the shorts, and I am itching to explore more.

"May I take your shorts off," I ask to give him a choice, because I want to make sure he is really okay with this.

"Of course, want me to do it," Eric offers.

"No," I state after a moment, "I want to do it."

Once more I hook my thumbs into the fabric and pull down. This time I find the underwear I expected earlier. Eric is wearing boxers and they are loose enough that the fabric tents when the shorts are gone.

I bite my lip as my hand hovers. "Fuck it," I exclaim, and gently push my hand down.

His erection gives way and moves back up when I lift my hand just a tad. I am exploring the shape, outline it through the fabric and I can feel the firmness of it.

Eric groans and I see him biting his lip.

"Please don't. I would like to hear you. I need to know if I am doing it right," I admit, and Eric swallows hard.

"You are doing it more than just right, Tris," Eric admits breathily. "I don't know if my body can hold on," he warns me.

"I want to learn it all, Eric, but you need to tell me if we reach a point where you are uncomfortable," I warn.

"I am more worried that you will get uncomfortable," he mumbles when I return my hand to his erection.

I rub my hand along the sides and outline the shape again and again until I see a wet spot appear on the top. Without second thought I pull the elastic forward and his underwear down.

I am not prepared for his erection springing forward and my face is way to close. Of course it smacks against my lips, and as my lips were parted I get a bit of a mouthful.

Eric curses up a storm, but I am mesmerized by the soft texture and not in the least bothered by where his penis landed.

"Fucking hell, Tris. Oh god, no, don't," Eric whimpers when my lips run over the velvety skin. My breath washes over the tip and it twitches like it has a life of its own.

"Tris, oh god, that feels nice," Eric changes his tune. "I love the feeling of your hot mouth on me," he continues, and I feel emboldened by his extreme reaction. I do what comes naturally and stick my tongue out. The tip of my tongue touches the tip of his penis and I can feel the indentation on top. I retract my tongue and move my cheek to rub against the head before I take a closer look and run my fingers around the skin.

There is liquid pooling on top and I raise a finger to touch it. It is sticky and I rub my pointer finger through it, inadvertently smearing it around. It makes my finger glide along the velvety skin and Eric sucks in a breath which he holds.

"Breathe," I whisper, and he exhales with a loud groan.

"Tris, you have no idea what you do to me. Seeing you like this, looking at me, touching me. It's so much better than any fantasy I have ever had," Eric keeps going on.

"Tell me about your fantasy," I encourage, and don't question where the courage that makes me feel bold is coming from.

"I always imagined you moving down onto your knees while your lips were trailing down my chest all the way down to my dick. You would kneel in front of me, look up with your wide, expressive eyes and put your mouth on me..."

Eric doesn't get to say more for I did what he said turned him on in his fantasy and put my mouth on him. Well, I tried, for I have never done this before. The top of his penis is in my mouth and I close my lips over the larger bulb on top. Glans, I remind myself. Yes, I looked it up after our chat about Abnegation purposely not education its members.

Without Eric saying anything else I suck on the flesh in my mouth and it twitches.

I move my lips up and down the top and Eric groans before grabbing my head and pushing upwards. I freeze and look at him wide eyed, not understanding why he is pushing me away until I see Eric squeeze his eyes shut, and he whimpers while something shoots into my mouth.

Yuck!

I gag and immediately move my head before spitting into my hands.

Oh shit, that was disgusting. I stare down into the whitish liquid in my hands until I hear Eric chuckle darkly.

"Go wash your hands, Tris," he gets out, and I don't waste any time. I rinse my mouth as well while I am in there.

Eric is still chuckling when I return, but he opens his arms and I snuggle into him.

"What's so funny," I ask meekly.

"I am not making fun of you, Tris, if you are worried about that," Eric tries to soothe me.

"Sounds a bit like it," I grumble.

"No, Tris, it's just that every guy seems to have the fantasy of the girl giving him a blowjob enjoying the taste so much that she swallows," he explains.

I shudder at that and almost gag thinking about THAT being swallowed willingly.

"Yeah, I heard enough guys complain to know the norm is exactly the opposite," Eric admits.

"Is that why you tried to pull me off," I ask, and Eric nods.

"Thank you," I kiss him softly on his lips.

"Thank you, Tris, I did not expect such a treat," he admits, and I just snuggle into him to hide my hot cheeks.

"Did you satisfy your curiosity," Eric is speaking so lowly that I almost miss it.

"I don't know," I admit.

"Okay, what else do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I whine, and slap Eric's chest when he laughs.

"There are so many things I never learned about, or was never told about," I add on. "I don't even know all that I am missing," I state, and I can feel Eric nod. "There are so many things I need to catch up on, but I want to learn these things with you," I conclude.

"So, what's next? My body or yours?" Eric tries to help me narrow it down, and I appreciate the subtle nudges he gives me without simply telling me what to do.

"I think I want you to help me explore my own body. I loved the way you touched me yesterday, and all I could think of was the question why we did not do this earlier," I admit, and Eric chuckles.

"Because Abnegation are a bunch of Stiffs that want to make sure everybody else is just as repressed," he teases, and even I have to laugh. "I have a bottle of your oil here," Eric admits, and I kiss his cheek.

"Where?"

"Bathroom cabinet," Eric says while pushing me gently to the side and standing up. He doesn't seem to care that he is naked, and I am enjoying the unhindered view of his naked ass. Mmmh!

Of course the view I get when Eric returns is even better, and once more I wonder why I got so stuck on my shitty fear when I could have enjoyed this for the last two weeks.

"Lie down and get comfortable," Eric instructs, and I follow suit without taking my clothes off. Eric can do that so much better.

This time Eric doesn't ask for permission, he simply removes my pants and lifts my shirt up to my breasts, but I arch my back to help him push it all the way off.

"Wow," Eric exclaims when he sees the size of my chest.

Why thank you, those babies make me feel really good about myself.

Eric gets to work and just like yesterday he starts down at my ankles and works his way up to my bump.

"Will you do my chest as well," I ask when he is done.

"You have your bra on," Eric reminds me.

I push my hands behind me and unhook the clip before shrugging out of my bra.

"Not anymore," I state without making eye contact.

"Tris, will you please look at me?"

I do so reluctantly, but Eric's face lets me know immediately that I have nothing to worry about.

"You are beautiful," he declares and pours more oil into his palm.

Without further ado he gets to work, and I close my eyes to savour the sensations cursing through me. My nipples are really sensitive, and the constricted buds are almost painful.

"Done," Eric proclaims, and I open my eyes again.

"Thank you," I open my arms to hug him and he responds tentatively.

"What's wrong," I ask, but Eric doesn't reply. He just pushes us closer together and I can feel the effect I have on him immediately. No further explanation needed. I simply snuggle into him.

"Do you want to stay here tonight," Eric whispers in my ear.

Why not?

"I would like to," I simply reply and that's the last words we speak before sleep claims us.


	15. What the future holds

**Chapter 14**

**Tris POV**

"Tris," I hear my name, but I am fucking tired, so I just squeeze my eyes shut and ignore the voice.

"Tris, I know you can hear me," I hear again.

No, no, no!

"Tris, will you let me get up, please," the voice sounds off again and I grumble.

I can feel hands trying to push me onto my back, but my current position is really comfy. I dig my fingers in as I attempt to secure my spot, but as I do so I suddenly hear a squeal and feel violent shaking.

"What the fuck," I exclaim while trying to sit up, and I see that I am lying on top of Eric. A very naked Eric who I just tickled in my attempt to stay on him.

"Tris, I really need to pee," Eric pleads, and I carefully roll onto my back.

I am still in this position when Eric comes back a minute later.

"I didn't want to wake you, but I have been awake for an hour and I couldn't wait any longer," Eric tells me by way of an explanation.

"Why did you not wake me," I ask dumbfounded.

"Because you need the sleep, and when I tried to you didn't comply," he teases.

"Fine," I grumble.

"Good morning," Eric leans down to kiss me.

"Hi," I reply. I feel bothered that I am not bothered at all to wake up wearing only my panties and lying on top of a completely naked man.

"I can see the wheels turning," Eric teases, and I smile at him.

"I was just thinking about ... us, this..." I look pointedly at our bodies. "Is it weird that I am bothered because I am not bothered to wake up like this?" Eric is quiet. "Does that sentence even make sense?"

"It does and then it doesn't," Eric replies.

"Huh?"

"Tris, we have been spending the time since you woke up together. We did not spend much time apart and we got used to each other in a way that it just feels normal to be together, and I am bothered when I am without you," Eric admits.

"You miss me," I try to clarify.

"Of course I miss you when you are not around," Eric looks at me like that should have been obvious.

"I had to force myself to leave you every night, just like I am forcing myself to treat you like my apprentice and not my girlfriend when we are at work," Eric continues. "With you I don't mind breaking the rules and that should bother me, but it doesn't," Eric explains further. "Do you remember what we agreed in the hospital, just after you woke up?"

"To give us a chance?"

"Yes, that as well, but what I meant was that we said we will be fully committed to making it work. To work past all handicaps we face and try to build bonds that will be unbreakable and end in 'till death do us apart'. When I think about not being bothered, I know it is because we worked past all issues and we succeeded in creating that strong bond we wanted with each other," Eric declares and looks at me expectantly.

I have no words left. I feel stupid for not realizing that what Eric said is the absolute truth. I feel silly for being bothered by things that should be undeserving of any attention. And I feel ashamed for having to be told that we are indeed suited to spend the rest of our lives together when it was right in front of me the whole time.

I don't say any of these things. I simply tell Eric "I love you, and I am ready for the next steps!"

Eric stares at me and then pinches himself. "Don't," I slap his hand away, and then I kiss the red spot he left on his skin.

"What," Eric swallows, "What are the next steps, Tris?"

"We move in together and we share a bed every single night," I state while keeping eye contact. "Whenever you feel like proposing, I am ready to answer," I add teasingly.

Eric nods and then gets up. He paces the bedroom a few times before he comes to a complete standstill.

"Will you wait here?"

I simply nod.

Eric leaves the room and I can hear him enter the spare room and then the slamming of drawers. What is he doing? Or better yet, what is he thinking?

I can hear him walking back, and I sit up expectantly.

I am surprised to see Eric walking back with a small stack of black clothes. It seems so random, but with Eric, there is always a reason.

"I went to the same shop most people got our gifts from," Eric starts. "Will you have a look and let me know what you think," he asks me sweetly.

"Uh, sure," we are both naked, but who cares?

I lift the first item off the stack and shake out the baby pajama. The white letters state 'Baby Coulter, I came 1st'. I smile at Eric to show I approve.

The second item is another baby pajama, but this one reads 'Baby Coulter, I came 2nd'.

Okay, so far, so good. "I like them," I state and pick the next item up. It is a men's t-shirt that reads 'Eric Coulter, profession: Daddy' and I chuckle at the thought of Eric walking around the faction wearing this.

"There is more," Eric reminds me and I grab the last item, another t-shirt. I think I know where this is going and smiling brightly, I open it up. 'Tris Coulter, profession: Mommy' is printed boldly on this one.

"Tris?"

I look at Eric and my breath hitches. He is kneeling in front of me and holding up a ring with blue, black and gray stones alternating in a circle around a clear diamond.

"Tris, will you marry me?"

"Shit," I exclaim, but nod vigorously at the same time.

"Yes," I clarify when Eric doesn't move, "I will marry you."

"Thank god," Eric grumbles as he gets off the ground and sits next to me with the ring.

"It has been in my family for generations," he starts. "Emilia tracked it down for me and I was hoping you would be willing to have it." He points to all the different colours. "These are a representation of all the factions my family has called home since the founding of our society," he explains further. "Erudite," he points to blue. "Abnegation," I almost choke when he tells me this while pointing to the gray stones. "Candor," He indicates the white stone in the middle, "and Dauntless." The black stones.

"No Amity," I joke.

"Not yet, but you never know about the next generation," he lays his hand on my bump.

"Thank you," I kiss him. "It means a lot to me that you want to give me this ring, but I don't think it will be wise to wear jewellery in Dauntless, especially while pregnant."

"I know, that's why Dauntless get their rings tattooed. You can't have that either," Eric states, and I swallow hard.

"I will keep the ring safe for the next generation," I state, and then I really kiss him.

We are getting a bit carried away and don't stop until Eric's tablet seems to blow up on us with an extremely annoying alarm.

"Time's up," I mumble against his lips.

"Yes, but it just means we are postponing," Eric reminds me with a shit eating grin.

"Go get ready at your place and I will do the same after delegating some tasks." Eric doesn't elaborate and I don't ask. I simply follow his suggestion and head home after getting dressed in yesterday's clothes.

…

Ten minutes later I am showered, dressed and rummaging through my kitchen for a quick breakfast.

There is a knock on my front door, followed by the beep of the electronic door lock.

"Kitchen," I shout out and Eric walks in.

"Just grab some fruit, we have a breakfast meeting with Max in twenty minutes," Eric advises, and I look at him in surprise.

"Since when? There is nothing in my schedule," I complain.

Eric silences me with a kiss before answering. "Since I messaged him five minutes ago. Hana is occupying Uriah this morning and the two of us will sit down with Max and talk about our plans for the future.

"Eric, we haven't talked about anything ourselves, why in god's name would you want to talk to Max first?" I am annoyed and baffled.

"Because he can tell us about our options, Tris. If we don't know our choices, how are we supposed to make decisions?"

Okay, that sounds logical, but I still feel like he is rushing things.

"I concede this point, but we have to talk about a lot of things, mister. You just proposed, it doesn't mean we will get married this afternoon."

Eric tries to pout. "Stop that, this is what I mean! Communication is key. You ask what I want, and I ask what you want. It is a give and take and we agree on what works best for us," I lecture, and Eric silences me with a kiss.

"I was only teasing you, Tris. I know we have to talk about when we will get married and what type of ceremony you want. We have to talk about moving in together, about your training, about a nursery, names and so much more," Eric admits, and I am relieved we are once more on the same page.

"Come on," Eric nods to the fruit basket and I grab a banana before putting on my boots.

…

Hand in hand we walk over to Max's office. Eric doesn't bother to knock and just walks in... his funeral.

Just as I expected, Eric comes to an abrupt halt, groans and turns while pushing me back into the hallway, kicking the door shut.

"I guess you did not hear them," I tease.

"Why did you not stop me," Eric growls his question.

"Because it seems some lessons have to be learned the hard way," I tease and kiss him in an attempt to appease him. "Let's go over to your office," I suggest.

"They looked like they were about done," Eric states, and I shrug.

"Doesn't matter, just give them a sense of privacy. Come on, you can leave your office door open if it makes you feel better."

Eric grumbles at my renewed teasing, but holds his door open for me.

I walk behind his desk and grab a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Let's be productive," I suggest and plop down on the visitor chair in front of his desk.

"How so?"

"We can make a list of all things that need to be done and then we can talk about the type of wedding we would like to have," I start writing before I am done talking.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to be in this together?"

"We are, but you are a bit slow this morning, so I am picking up the slack."

We create a nice to-do list that is not as long as I feared and then it's crunch time.

"I never wanted a large wedding. I hate all the attention, and in Abnegation it is a very simple affair. I would prefer to just have a private ceremony and then celebrate with our friends. Nothing ridiculous like the parties in the Pit, but still a party," I try to start us off.

"I think I would like that. I have never spent any time thinking about my wedding, but something simple with friends and family sounds nice."

I don't miss the way Eric's voice hitches at the word 'family'.

"Do you think we are allowed to have members of other factions attend? I don't want to be granted an exemption when nobody else who transferred has the same option," I am serious.

"Faction before blood still holds true," Eric admits. "What we can do is have a toast or something like this during the next leadership meeting after the ceremony. This way your parents and Emilia, probably even Caleb, will be there."

I don't have to think twice. "Okay, that's more than others get, but we do have to work with them so it's not like we are traveling just for that purpose," I conclude. "In that case, why don't we have the ceremony with Hana, Max and Uriah as leadership representatives and our friends as witnesses. Then, as the same group, we can have a small party. Is there anything that we can do for the whole faction? They have all been so kind, I want to involve them somehow."

Eric doesn't have to think long. "We can talk to the chefs about Dauntless cake for everyone," he suggests, and I nod before he is done.

"And we pay for it?"

"To some extent. We can pay for the extra supplies with our own points, but it won't be too expensive. The chefs will bake just some more than they would normally do," Eric explains, and I nod.

"Then I think we have that sorted," I declare, but Eric shakes his head.

"Tris, we did not talk about a date," he reminds me, and I slap my hand against my face in disbelief. "Do you want to wait until after the babies are born?"

Do I want to wait that long? They will be here in about twenty-two weeks. Then I need to recover, initiation is going on at the same time. Eric will be busy because at least one leader has to oversee initiation, then someone has to cover for me, and Uriah and Hana are quite new to leadership as well. Shit, why is this so hard?

"I think it's best to get married before the babies are due," I start off. "How about we do it after we have moved in together and our list is really short," I suggest.

"Sounds perfect to me," Eric gushes and hugs me to him.

Of course we don't keep it at that. No, one of us starts the kiss and we end up with me sitting atop of Eric on the visitor's chair.

…

A throat clearing brings us back to where we are, Eric's office with the door wide open. Hana grins at us and gives us a thumbs up while Max just pointedly looks at his watch.

"I thought we were due to meet twenty minutes ago. Did you get a bit side-tracked," he cheekily asks.

"Not as much as you were when we walked into your office. You seemed rather busy, Max," Eric states without showing any emotion on his face. I must ask him what his secret is. "Hana, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get that bra? I think it would look great on Tris..." Eric only stops because I slap my hand over his mouth.

"I am so sorry, Hana, I will work on his training when we are done for today," I promise. Eric licks my hand. "Yuck, stop that," I demand and clean my hand on his shirt.

"Okay, let's head over to my office and you can tell me why you needed to meet so urgently." Max decides to ignore Eric all together and it might have been the wiser choice.

…

Hana leaves to supervise Uriah, and I get comfortable on Max's couch.

"Did Hana bring all this," I ask while nodding my head toward the loaded table.

"She sure did," Max states proudly. "Now, what can I do for you?" He looks at me expectantly, and I turn to look at Eric because he initiated this meeting without consulting me.

"There are a few things we need to talk to you about. The first one is housing. Tris and I want to move in together, but we need some space for our growing family," Eric starts.

"I assume you have something in mind?" Max is all ears.

"Well," Eric scratches his neck, "I was hoping you would allow us to combine our apartments."

What!? How is that supposed to work?

"Elaborate," Max demands.

"Well, I think it is safe to say that we do need space to raise our children, and if we tear down some walls in between our apartments we can use all the rooms the way they were meant to be. Our kitchens, living rooms and guest rooms are mirror images of each other, so we could connect the kitchen and just make it one large kitchen and diner. The living room and guest room could be combined, but we would have to get an evaluation regarding which walls are load bearing before we make definite plans. What we wanted to know from you is if that is something we are allowed to do," Eric finishes his monologue.

"If our engineers approve then I think there is nothing speaking against it," Max concedes.

"Are you sure you are ready for that step, Tris?" Max looks at me with concern. "You woke up from a coma not so long ago and there are so many things going on in your life. Eric didn't steam roll you, did he?"

"No, Max, I told Eric I was ready for the next steps, and I am. Life goes on and ours in on the fast track. We want to move in together and make a home for our family. Once done, we would like you to marry us in a small ceremony, followed by a pregnancy friendly party in our apartment," I state, and Max smiles.

"I am so glad everything is working out for you two. You deserve all the happiness in this world," Max is really emotional today.

"Thank you," I smile right back

"I would appreciate it if you two cancel all your plans for this afternoon," Max starts, and I squeal because I think I know where this is going. Eric looks at me worriedly. "Hana and I want to get married this afternoon," Max pauses to let me finish my little happy dance, "and we would like for you to be there," he looks at me. "Eric, if you would be willing to officiate my wedding," Max looks at Eric who accepts happily. "Great," Max lets out a gust of air, "then we are all set. I need you to cover for me to the next two days," his smirk says is all.

"Done," Eric states, and we leave soon after.

…

"You know we have to find the perfect revenge present right now, don't you," I ask.

"Of course, but I was wondering if I shouldn't add a little something to the ceremony," Eric muses out loud.

"I wouldn't or else Max will try to get back to us. No, we need to find something that is focused on Hana and not him," I declare, and Eric nods.

"Any idea what her fears are," I dare to ask.

"No, and there is no way of finding out," Eric grumbles.

"We can gift her some of our things and pretend she is expecting," I suggest.

"Maybe, come on Tris. Let's have a look around the Pit to see if there is anything catching our eye.

…

We spend the rest of the morning searching for presents and talking to the guys in our engineering department. I am learning a lot because I did not even know we had one.

The verdict is quick, and we are able to merge our two apartments together.

After some discussions on what we want and how it's supposed to look like, we leave with a preliminary timeline of three days from start to finish.

Max and Hana's wedding is scheduled for late afternoon and we will have dinner together with Zeke, Shauna, Uriah and Marlene. Max and Hana decided to really keep it in the family, and I am there by default as Eric's plus one. Just kidding, Hana is excited, and I spend the time beforehand helping her get ready in the dress she chose not so long ago.

…

Time flies and the ceremony is over before we know it.

We all gather at Max's apartment, which Hana just fully moved into, for a nice dinner together and of course the presents.

Once we are finished it is present time and what I have been looking forward to most of the day.

As expected, Zeke and Uriah gift Max with a lot of gifts on the topic of 'Daddy dearest', Marlene and Shauna eventually hand over the actual gifts when Max looks like he can't take any more teasing.

They pooled together and gave them a voucher for their wedding ring tattoos on top of a personal voucher for a day's worth of free labour each.

Our gift is next, and I am so looking forward to seeing Hana's face.

We have a big and a small canvas bag. The big one we hand to Max and the small one to Hana.

Max just peeks into his, groans and looks expectantly at Hana.

"What did you get, pops," Zeke asks.

"A sleeping bag," Max grumbles.

"Boys trip to Amity," Uriah cheers, and Max closes his eyes.

Hana carefully peers into her bag and when she sees its nothing offending, she pulls out the black top we got her. She shakes it out and then there is silence.

"What did you get, mom" Uriah tries to peer over Hana's shoulder, but she won't let him, so Zeke snatches it out from right under her nose.

"What the fuck," he exclaims, and throws the shirt onto the table.

Everyone is able to read it now. Our lovely gift consists of a black tank top with a keypad on it. The access code typed in states 'Hana sucks dick'.

"How did you find out," she splutters eventually and Eric smirks at her.

"Some people agreed with us that your baby gift was a bit inappropriate and gave us some tips on how to return the favour," he explains without giving away that it was my mom who came to our rescue.

"What in tarnation did you give them to bring this up again," Max asks, clearly baffled, and I am glad to hear he was not involved.

"A baby-grow with the saying 'I was Daddy's fastest swimmer'," I growl out, and Max simply shakes his head.

Zeke gulps. "Does this mean I am next," he dares to ask, and I only chuckle evilly. "Shit," is his smart response.

"Zeke," Shauna turns on him, "did you actually get that stupid sentence you come up with printed for real?" Shauna sounds appalled.

"My Daddy got Stiff and Mommy got me," I quote, and I swear I can see steam rising up from Shauna's head.

"Whatever Tris and Eric decide to dole out is hereby approved by me," Shauna states and looks around the group. "Some topics should be off limit," she declares, and Max and Marlene nod.

"Okay, now that this is all done. Here," I pull out another bag from behind my chair and hand it over to them.

Max opens it cautiously, but after peeking in he dumps the whole content on the table.

We got them a selection of massage oils and a voucher for each to get a massage from an Erudite therapist. Yes, we asked Emilia to bend a few rules ever so slightly as Max and Hana don't exactly present with the medical need for one, but we are paying for the service with our own points instead of Erudite charging Dauntless for it as they would have done in any other case.

We spend another hour together and then we leave the newlyweds to enjoy their two days off.

* * *

**There is only one chapter and a short epilogue left...**


	16. Culmination

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Tris POV**

Hana and Max did not leave their apartment for the whole time they were off. We did not expect them to, but Zeke and Uriah were still disturbed by imagining, ever so briefly, what they were up to.

…

Eric trained us on the job as he had to hold down the fort. Uriah was thrown into night duty without warning, and I found myself doing the rounds through the faction.

I would like to say I got the better deal, but it took most of the day to do my round because everyone wanted to chat.

…

As promised, engineering oversaw the renovation of our apartments and, as they worked from morning until the evening, I missed my naps for four days in a row.

Eric and I decided to eat in the cafeteria and just use the apartment to change and sleep. And sleep is all we did, because I was beyond exhausted.

On day four our apartments were finally joined, and the head engineer himself gave us a quick tour and explained how the new spaces would work.

…

The evening of day five we spent rearranging furniture, well, our friends helped Eric move our furniture around while I was restricted to overseeing the whole operation.

Needless to say, that night we spent once more exhausted, and dying to sleep, next to each other.

…

I wake up bleary eyed and look at the alarm to check the time. It's nine o'clock, and I am about to sit up in a panic when I remember that it is my day off.

Thank god!

I close my eyes and try to fall asleep again, but of course the adrenaline is still coursing through my system and I find it impossible.

Eric is snoring beside me and I am wondering about what we should do today. We did not make any plans, so I am hoping we can stay in and relax.

My bladder is demanding attention, and I leave the bed reluctantly to take care of business.

Eric is still sleeping when I return, and I walk into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

With my hunger taken care of I wonder what I should do next.

The large empty space on the wall leading to the newly united guest rooms catches my attention and for whatever reason I suddenly know what I want to put there. A family and memory display with pictures and the urns in full view of everyone visiting our home. We could draw a tree with lots of different branches and have our loved ones and friends, past and present, memorialized

The more I think about it, the more I like it. I hope Eric agrees with me.

Suddenly I can't wait to talk to him about my ideas, and I rush into the bedroom and slide back under the covers.

I know I am a bit cold when I try to back up into Eric's large frame, but he will just have to deal with it. At least I am not tickling him.

"Why are you so cold, Tris," Eric murmurs sleepily into my ear.

"I got up a little while ago and had breakfast," I tell him breathlessly when I feel his hands wander under my shirt and rub over my bump. With every circle they draw, his hands move higher and higher up until they have reached my breasts.

Eric gently cups them, and I snuggle my ass closer to him.

"Hm, that feels nice, babe," Eric moans when I rub over his erection.

"Yes, it does," I moan when Eric plays with my breasts some more. His thumbs are firmly planted on my nipples and he stimulates both simultaneously.

I undulate my back without meaning to when Eric sucks on the skin just behind my ear.

"Oh," I breathe out and turn to kiss him. Unfortunately, I have to turn my body to do so, but any body contact with Eric is great, and I find that I like my new position even better. With my leg over Eric's thigh, my bump rests comfortably, something I found myself having trouble with. My arm across Eric's chest takes some of the heaviness out of my ever-increasing breasts.

"I have to try and sleep like this," I mumble against his lips, and I can feel them stretch. Doesn't matter if it's a smile or smirk, I have found my new favourite position, and I am so going to enforce it tonight.

"I love waking up like this," Eric murmurs, and I chuckle.

"I love waking up knowing it's our day off," I tease and nip his lip.

"In that case, let me run to the bathroom real quick and we can spend the whole morning in bed," Eric suggests, and I reluctantly make space for him to get up. The prospect of doing this for the next hour or two is by far greater encouragement than my need to keep him with me.

My mind goes back to why I wanted to wake Eric in first place, but that thought is pushed to the back of my mind when he emerges from the bathroom.

Eric likes to sleep in his underwear, and he is not self-conscious when it comes to letting me see him like this, even when he is sporting an erection like he is now.

I know my eyes are glued to the bulge in his pants, but we are past the point where we hide our mutual attraction.

Eric lies back down, and I throw my arm and leg over him to find that amazingly comfortable spot again. My lips find his and time ceases to exist.

Eric's hands wander to my butt and he pulls me closer, once hand stays there to help me keep the position while the other one runs up and down my spine.

My hand wanders all over his chest, scraping my nails over his nipples, abs and whatever I find in between.

I am more than aware of Eric's leaking erection, but this is one thing we haven't visited these last days. No time like the present to learn something new.

"Will you show me how you masturbate?"

Eric's breath hitches, and I can feel him swallow before he replies.

"You want to watch me masturbate instead of figuring out how to do it for me," he teases.

"Yes, I think watching you do it will show me what you like," I explain my reasoning.

"Okay, umm, I usually do it in the shower," Eric looks towards the bathroom door.

"How did that work out when you had to collect the samples for Anthony," I am merely curious.

Eric's cheeks and ears turn a bit reddish.

"No, that one I did on the bed, Tris. Anthony had some specimen cups that I had to use."

"Then why do you now do it in the shower," I question.

"Because it's easier to use soap and water, plus I don't have a mess to clean up," Eric explains again, and I am torn.

"Will you show me how you do it here and then I will help you clean up in the shower," I offer.

Eric nods his consent as soon as the words leave my mouth. He knows how much of a concession this is on my part. I have kept my panties on the whole time we were together and if I join him in the shower, I have to take them off.

"Thank you," I kiss him. "Where do you need me to sit," I ask, and Eric looks at me dumbly.

"I have no idea, Tris, wherever you want, I guess. I have never done this in front of anyone before," he admits, and I am grateful he trusts me to observe him. I know this is something incredibly personal and I appreciate that he allowed it so easily.

I am looking around our bedroom, yes, our bedroom. Eric had a king-sized bed in his old room and mine was just outfitted with Dauntless standard furniture for new members. We still have mine as a guest or spare room, but we made our joint home in his old bedroom.

I push myself up and move to lean against a few pillows I stacked against the headboard.

"This feels really awkward," Eric tells me, but stretches his hand out to open the drawer on his nightstand.

Must remember to look in there later.

"You don't have to, Eric," I remind him. "I won't hold it against you if you think you are not ready," I add.

"No, Tris, I think it will be good to share this."

Eric retrieves his hand and has a large pump bottle in his hand. Next, he retrieves a box of tissues which he puts next to the bottle.

"What's this," I nod towards the bottle.

"Lube," Eric explains, "I can't exactly rub the dry skin. It will chafe and hurt like hell. You need something to make it glide, probably the reason why guys love it when girls use their mouths."

Makes sense.

Eric looks at me one more time and then pushes his boxers down. "Normally, I would not take them all the way off, but because we are going to shower and I want you to have a good view, I am doing this now," Eric explains.

His erection springs free. "When I would do this for Anthony, I had to start out by getting hard first," Eric explains further and pumps some of the liquid into his hand.

He shows me the quantity and then rubs it onto his erections, from tip to base and back up.

I observe how he moves his thumb over the top and how he pulls the skin on each downwards stroke. Then he just pumps the shaft without going over the tip.

I am mesmerized by the way the muscles in Eric's arm work, I can even see the veins popping up.

His penis is getting redder, probably due to the increased blood flow.

Eric closes his eyes and speeds up, adding turns over the tip to his strokes.

I know I wanted to observe him, but I can't sit still and carefully move down the bed, trying very hard to not disturb him. Eric hasn't opened his eyes again, but his breathing picked up and is getting heavier.

I carefully place my hands on his thighs while I kneel between his open legs.

Eric's eyes shoot wide open, he stares at me and then moans my name.

"Yes, baby, I am right here. You look fucking amazing," I don't know where this is coming from, but Eric seems to like it.

"Fuck yes, Tris," he moans, and I can see his hand speed up.

My own hands travel up his thighs and I feel myself leaning closer to the apex of his thighs. I can see his balls; they are bouncing with the movements of his hands.

Eric arches his back off the bed. "Shit, I can feel your hot breath on me," he whispers, but for me it is like he shouted out his pleasure.

I can't hold back now and one of my hands grabs his balls while the other joins Eric's.

"Tris," Eric moans, staring deep into my eyes and comes all over our joined hands.

…

"That was different," he comments after he takes a moment to catch his breath.

He grabs some of the tissues to clean both of our hands before getting up.

"Come here," Eric extends his hand to me and carefully pulls me off the bed. His mouth is on mine as soon as I stand. His kiss feels like a thank you with a touch of desperation. "Shower," he asks, and upon my nod he leads us into the bathroom.

Eric starts the shower and pulls the towels closer while I just stare at him.

"May I take your clothes off," he asked me rather sweetly.

"Of course," I reply, and he gets to work.

When I am only wearing my panties, Eric kneels in front of me and kisses my bump. He trails his lips down to the waistband and runs them along the seam. Eric's thumbs hook into the elastic band and he pulls downwards, looking me straight in the eye.

He gets off the floor, still not having looked at my private parts and silently leads me into the stall with the cascading hot water.

He takes my shower gel and shampoo and cleans me from head to toe. When his soap covered hands reach the area between my legs, he looks at me and I smile and nod.

His fingers are probing, gently exploring the skin and soft curls that were never exposed to a man before.

This time it's my turn to moan. It feels really nice, and I can feel the effect he has on me.

Eric gently runs a finger along my slit before he returns to my clit and rubs circles around the protruding bud.

"Is this okay," he asks, and I moan out a breathy 'yes' before trying to get more friction by pushing my pelvis forward.

To distract myself I grab Eric's shampoo. When I can't reach high enough, he bends slightly to give me access. Cheeky bastard uses that time to nuzzle his nose in between my breasts and suck on one of my nipples.

Oh, shit!

I quickly rinse his hair out and he stands up straight, grinning broadly.

All this time his finger hasn't stopped the assault on my clit, and I can feel a tightening and something stirring in my belly.

I never had an orgasm, but I know about it and Eric explained to me what he knew from his lessons.

This time I take Eric's shower gel and rub my hands together to create a nice leather before I rub them all over his shoulders and chest.

When I reach further down, I am excited to find he is once more erect. Doesn't he need to have a recovery time? I thought all men needed one.

It doesn't matter, I am happy to be able to run my soapy hands along his shaft.

"Tris," Eric moans and rubs my clit harder.

"Eric," I groan out in pleasure, "I need ... something," I whine, not knowing what it is, but that I need more than what he is giving me.

Eric doesn't reply with words, but his thumb continues rubbing my clit while his other fingers wander about. I can feel his pointer finger slide in between my lower lips and glide up and down.

"Push it in," I demand in sudden realization.

"Are you sure," Eric stops for a second while I keep rubbing his shaft.

"Just do it," I demand and Eric sighs, but continues his up and down finger movements.

I am about to give out when I can feel him put more pressure on and when he reaches my wet hole he pushes down until he slides the tip in.

"Yes," I hiss. "More," I demand.

"Tris," Eric's head moves down and he speaks very lowly close to my ear. "I might break your hymen if I do that. It's going to hurt, and I don't want to hurt you," Eric sounds pleading.

"Please," I am begging now. "Just push it in a bit more," I request and speed up my own hand. I am stroking his whole penis, rubbing over the top and going back down.

"Shit," Eric exhales and continues to rub my clit. His eyes find mine and his mouth latches onto my lips, then I suddenly feel it. Yes, he is pushing in further. It's slow, but steady and I can feel the stretch and slight burn even with my lust addled brain.

Eric's finger stops, and I complain against his lips.

"It's all the way in, Tris. There is no way I can push it any further," Eric adds.

Huh, really?

I stop all movement on his dick and look down to where his hand is in between my legs. My belly is in the way and I wish I could see around it, but I do believe him.

Eric moves his finger back and forth and I moan involuntarily.

"Is that good," he asks.

"Yes," I moan.

"Did I hurt you," he sounds worried.

"No, it just burned a bit," I admit, and Eric exhales in relief. "Thank god for small favours."

I snort, but he is right.

Eric's lips return to mine and the kiss feels different than any kiss we shared before. This is him claiming me. This is me giving him all of me. This is the next step in our relationship and there is only one more thing on our list before we truly are one.

Eric's fingers renew their assault and I can feel the results immediately.

I shiver, I moan, and I groan until I feel like I am exploding in a ball of heat.

Eric's fingers slow down and so does his kiss.

"I love you," he whispers to me, and I respond in kind.

"Thank you," he continues, and I draw a blank as to why he would thank me.

"Thank you for trusting me," Eric elaborates, and I suddenly understand.

…

The water is still raining down on us, the temperature hasn't change, yet I shiver when it continues to hit my overheated skin.

"Let's get out of here," Eric whispers into my ear, but I shake my head.

"No, I am not done yet," I declare and soap up my hands again.

Eric's eyes widen when he sees what I am doing, but he doesn't protest. No, he simply grabs my own soap and washes me down below while I stroke him again.

It doesn't take long before Eric throws his head back and he comes.

Once more we rinse off, but this time I do not object when Eric shuts off the water and wraps me in a large towel.

Once dry, we move back to bed and Eric pulls me in close while I cuddle back into his side.

"I love you," he kisses my forehead.

"I love you too," I reply and throw my arm and leg back over him.

Eric's stomach lets out a vicious growl, and I rear back involuntarily.

"Looks like you need some nourishment," I snicker, and he winks.

"I planned on feasting on you, but I will make an exception and eat a sandwich first," he teases. "Come on, I bet our boys could eat as well."

He pulls me out of the bed and throws a robe from behind the door my way.

"I don't want you to get sick," he states earnestly.

"Then how about you throw some pants on," I demand.

"Yes, ma'am," he mock salutes.

…

We enjoy a leisurely brunch together and I finally get to tell him about my ideas for the family wall.

Eric approves and comes up with a few good ideas of his own.

Of course, we end up back in bed and I fall asleep in my new favourite position.

…

I wake up to Eric moaning and groaning. Crap, another nightmare!

I open my eyes, ready to move away and out of his thrashing arms when I realize the sounds are for a completely different reason.

I stare surprised at my own hand inside Eric's underwear. Really? Well, if I have my hand down there already...

I start stroking him with purpose and Eric continues his one-track song of ecstasy.

I am looking down towards my hand, so I am missing the hand that sneaks around me and grabs a handful of my breasts.

"This is a great way to wake up," Eric tells me in a sleep roughened voice.

"Let's enjoy it while we can," I add and pull his boxers down as far as I can reach, and then I use my foot to drag it down the rest of the way.

"Look at me," Eric commands, and I do as requested. His lips meet mine and his arms come around me, pulling me further up his body so neither of us has to strain in order to reach.

"I love you," Eric tells me again.

"I love you too," I reply in kind and wriggle my body from my new position.

Eric groans when my butt rubs over his erection.

I look at him, bite my lip and do it again.

I can feel him twitch and the previous sensations from our joint shower come rushing back.

Of course I do it again and Eric grabs two hands full of breast in retaliation.

"Tease," he growls, and I grin.

"No, I am not," I say and push back hard against his erection. It slides along my lower lips and we both moan.

I repeat the move and push down a bit more.

"Tris, you might be sore," Eric warns.

"I don't care," I admit and push down until I can feel him slide inside.

"Oh god," Eric moans, and I nod in agreement. "You are so hot and tight, Tris." Eric sounds like he wants to cry.

"Are you okay," I wonder out loud.

"Oh yes, but I can't guarantee that I won't come in the next few seconds," Eric sounds embarrassed now and I won't have that.

"It doesn't matter, we will learn together," I state and begin to move in earnest.

Just like with his finger, I need to go slow and stretch. I do feel the burn, but once more it doesn't hurt as badly as I was told it would. Fucking Abnegation scaremongering.

Eric tries to reach my clit, but my bump is blocking him, and he growls in frustration. He goes back to loving my breasts and must do it just right for I can feel the build-up, just like before.

"Oh, keep going," I encourage, and he does so with enthusiasm.

"Yes," I hiss and constrict around him without prior warning.

"Shit, shit, shit... ah, Tris!"

I can feel Eric twitch inside me, this is awesome! Wow!

…

"Are you okay," Eric eventually manages to wheeze out.

"Hmmm," I reply, but my smile is the real answer he seeks.

"Babies good?"

Why do we sound like we lost all verbal abilities? Oh yes, because it was mind blowing.

I nod once more, afraid of what might come out of my mouth this time.

"Good, now come here," Eric opens his arms wider to indicate he wants me to snuggle back into him and I lift myself up to do so.

I can feel something run slowly down my leg. Yuck.

"Can you reach your tissues," I ask calmly although I want nothing more than to clean myself.

Eric grabs a handful and cleans me up himself before he finally pulls me where I was supposed to go previously.

His fingers draw a pattern onto my back and we are silently snuggling.

"Does that mean we can get married now," Eric's question startles me, but then I simply laugh. Only Eric!

"Yes, but not today," I concede and close my eyes in bliss when he rains kisses all over me.


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Tris POV**

Of course I could not deny Eric his latest wish and we were married in a simple ceremony, just like Hana and Max

We celebrated with our friends and then we treated the whole faction to as much Dauntless cake as they wanted to.

It is safe to say that Zeke and Uriah were in heaven until it got too much. I have never seen the chefs as upset as they were when those two puked right in front of the table with Dauntless cake. As you might imagine, there were some leftovers after that incident, leftovers which Uriah and Zeke claimed to my utter surprise. No, that's not true, I was not surprised by that. Not at all.

…

My pregnancy progressed without any problems and Lisa treated us like royalty.

I progressed throughout the leadership program extremely fast and by the time I was thirty-six weeks pregnant, Dauntless voted on an exception and I was granted leadership without having finished the physical part.

Everyone knew it was a given that Eric would train me as well as he could when the time came, and nobody doubted my success in that regard.

It is safe to say that I was an emotional mess at the ceremony in the cafeteria and it came as no surprise when I found myself in labor that same night.

I am not sure how Eric felt about the ten hours of labor I had to endure, but whoever makes childbirth sound like the best thing ever should go and have him- or herself admitted.

There is sweat, there is the constant feeling that makes you think you need to use the bathroom to either pee, poop or vomit without really needing to do any of them.

The contractions are nothing to scoff about and let's not talk about that feeling when your water breaks. And to whoever gave the impression the water breaks and then you go to the hospital to have your baby soon after - Liar!

My water broke, and then there were repeated incidents of more water gushing out. I went through two outfits until I decided to just wear a short nightgown and no panties.

At least Eric was smart enough to not argue with me about my attire.

And then the nurse on duty. A real treat, let me tell you. She reluctantly checked me when I threatened her and claimed I was only four centimeters dilated after being there for nine hours. She ran out saying she would call Lisa and see if she wanted me to move into a delivery suite.

Half an hour later she came back with a wheelchair to bring me to my new room and Lisa.

On the way over I told the bitch that I was getting tingly all over and she asked me if that was supposed to mean something.

Yes, adrenaline! Where the fuck did she have her training?

Enough of nurse inadequate. Lisa checked me over when I arrived and guess what? I pushed my first son out not even twenty minutes later.

So, now I am lying in my bed, euphoria has settled in and I am staring at the two little bundles we are holding in our arms.

"Can you believe it," I whisper in order to keep the babies asleep for just a little bit longer.

"No, not really. They are finally here, and I feel like pinching myself ever so often," Eric admits without looking up from the baby he is holding.

"I know. Just look at them. They are so tiny," I state once more as if I haven't repeated myself multiple times since they were born an hour ago.

There is a soft knock and Lisa comes in. She beams at both of us before stating her business.

"Are you ready for some visitors? I held them back for as long as I could," she admits.

"Thank you," I tell her earnestly.

"Yes, thank you for everything you have done for us, Lisa," Eric repeats.

"Tris," Eric looks at me expectantly.

"Yes, bring them in. They nursed already and hopefully don't need more for another hour or two." I smile at Eric. "Are you ready?"

"You are the one who brought them into this world." He walks over and kisses my head. "I was simply there to stop you from killing anyone," Eric teases.

Lisa walks to the door and steps out. She doesn't close it fully and I can hear her demand that our visitors be quiet and adhere to whatever we want. Bless her.

The first one in is my mom, followed by dad and Caleb. As they walk closer Max, Hana, Zeke, Uriah, Shauna, Marlene, Christina and Will all follow through the now wide-open door.

"Oh, will you look at them," mom gushes quietly. "May I," she opens her arms and looks at me and I can't deny her. I carefully place my son in his grandmother's arms while Eric does the same with dad.

"I forgot how tiny newborns are," Hana quietly exclaims from beside mom. "Oh, will you look at that amount of blonde hair." Hana scrutinizes the baby in mom's arms a bit more. "It's impossible to tell who they come after," she states, and I chuckle.

"Are you finally going to let us know their names?" Of course this is what Christina needs to know, but guessing from the expectant looks all around they all want to know the answer.

I look at Eric and nod for him to go ahead. He swallows hard and then turns to mom.

"Natalie, you are holding our first born. Nathan Tobias Coulter." There are some gasps around, but mom looks like she knew we would do something like this.

"Andrew, you are holding our second ranked, Harrison Evan Coulter." Eric's voice breaks slightly when he mentions Harrison's middle name for he is named after Eric's little brother.

We talked about names for a long time, and in the end decided it was the right thing to do. We wanted our children to represent people from our past that meant the world to us. To never be forgotten, but to live on in the next generation. Our children will grow up with the knowledge of what happened to their extended family. Yes, we consider Tobias family. He is proudly represented on our family tree and his ashes are displayed next to those of Eric's parents and brother. The only thing we will forever hide from our children is how they were conceived.

"Welcome to Dauntless," Max cheers quietly and of course the others stomp their feet and clap their hands.

In true Dauntless fashion our children start screaming their lungs out when they are so abruptly woken from their slumber.

"Yep, Dauntless to the core," Uriah teases us when we rush to soothe and pacify our babies.

We spend some time visiting and everyone gets to hold the twins. It has been almost two hours when Lisa comes back in and kicks them out.

Eric is allowed to spend the night here with us, and tomorrow we are going home as a family.

…

"What are you thinking about," I ask Eric when I wake up in the middle of the night and see him standing next to my bed, just staring down at me without really seeing.

Eric shakes himself and then gives me a weary smile.

"I was just thinking about the past year. So much has happened. I was miserable, working for Jeanine in order to save my family, terrorizing Dauntless on her behalf and look at me now. I am still a leader to the Dauntless. Jeanine was prosecuted and paid the ultimate price for her crimes. I met and married the love of my life; I lost and then gained a family and now we have two children that we can call our own. I am just wondering what I did right to deserve all this," Eric admits, and I simply open my arms and cuddle into him when he lies down on the bed with me.

"I love you," I remind him. "But we really need to sleep before the boys wake up," I admonish him ever so slightly.

But we don't sleep, we lay in the bed, cuddled together, listening to the sound of our babies breathing and watch the sun rise on a new day.


End file.
